New concession to Iran as west presses for nuclear deal

Iran appears to be winning the battle of brinkmanship with the US over it's right to enrich uranium under the rules of the NNPT.

Having demanded for the best part of a year that Iran's "cessation" of uranium enrichment was it's objective, the US is now speaking of Iran "suspending" enrichment for the duration of any talks with the US.

Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, outlined the change in the US negotiating position, stating:

Once "confidence is restored in the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme", it would be allowed to resume enrichment on a scale to be determined. "Those are rights under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty," said a diplomat.

The new package is more generous than that offered last August by Britain, France and Germany when the talks collapsed and Iran lifted its uranium enrichment freeze.

It is now being offered international acceptance of a civil nuclear energy programme, equipment and co-operation on the construction of reactors by big western nuclear engineering contractors, and the prospect of ultimately keeping some national uranium enrichment projects.

Washington's latest concessions are balanced by a greater international consensus to move towards sanctions by the UN security council should the Iranians reject the conditions.

It appears that at last Washington are becoming serious about solving this problem diplomatically.

This is a package that Iran can sell to it's people as a vindication of the stance it has taken against Washington's aggression.

Of course, the hidden danger for the Iranians is that Washington could be leading them into a set of talks that could last for years.

The danger for Washington is that Iran could now seek to negotiate about the negotiations, a tactic that Washington would see as Iran playing for time.

The best way for both sides to come to an amicable agreement is for talks to start as soon as possible and to have a timetable and a deadline.

That way both sides would have to prove they are serious about finding a solution.

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Tags: Iran, UN, inspectors, inspections, crisis, US, war, uranium, nuclear weapons,