Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire: Catherine Ashton

Showing posts with label Catherine Ashton. Show all posts

Monday, November 8, 2010

Iran ready to hold nuclear talks in Turkey

Turkey ready to host Iran nuclear talks: reportAnkara (AFP) Nov 7, 2010 - Turkey is ready to host talks between Iran and six world powers over its disputed nuclear programme after a receiving a request from Tehran, the Anatolia news agency reported on Sunday. "Turkey has made lots of efforts since the start of the process for a diplomatic solution to be found," the news agency quoted a diplomatic source as saying. "We are ready to do whatever is in our power," the source said. The date and location of the talks is still to be determined, the report added. An Iranian conservative newspaper, Vatan Emrouz, on Sunday reported that the negotiations would be held by the end of November, without quoting a source.

At the same time, the European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, representing the world powers in the Iran negotiations, said Sunday that she was still waiting for official word from Tehran. "We have taken note of these reports. But we have not yet received an official proposal from Iran in this regard," a spokesman for her office said. The spokesman said the EU would respond once it had received an official proposal including a specific time and place to meet. The nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers -- Britain, China, France, Russia, Germany and the United States -- have been deadlocked since October 2009 when the two sides met in Geneva.

by Staff Writers Tehran (AFP) Nov 7, 2010 Iran said on Sunday it was ready to hold talks in Turkey with the six world powers on its controversial nuclear programme following a one-year break, turning to a neighbour seen as an ally. The European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, representing the world powers in the negotiations, said she was awaiting official word from Tehran on a specific time and venue.
A response would follow after consultations with the major powers, her office said in Brussels.
Ashton proposed last month to hold the talks in Vienna -- headquarters of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency -- starting from November 15.
"In the last two or three days, we informed our Turkish friends that we agree to hold negotiations in Turkey," Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters in Tehran.
Iran's nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili informed Ashton in October that his country was prepared to resume nuclear talks after November 10 at a time and place agreed by both sides.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

US drawing up new, tougher nuclear deal for Iran: report

World powers still waiting for Iran response on fresh talksWashington (AFP) Oct 27, 2010 - Six world powers seeking to persuade Tehran to rein in its nuclear program have yet to receive a formal reply from Iran on their proposal to resume long-stalled talks, US officials said Wednesday. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represents world powers in the nuclear dialogue with Iran, has proposed to resume the long-stalled talks in Vienna, starting with a dinner meeting on November 15, followed by two days of consultations. Top Iranian officials, including Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, welcomed the offer but have yet to present a formal response. And President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said negotiations were the only solution.

"The first thing we're waiting for is a response from Iran," State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said. He said the so-called P5+1 that groups the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia was prepared to discuss nuclear fuel swap proposals with the Islamic republic "if Iran is prepared to sit down and seriously debate." "But at the same time, we need to have Iran come forward and demonstrate affirmatively that it's living up to its obligations, and its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes," he added. Should they take place as planned, the talks would be the first high-level meetings between Iran and the P5+1 since another round held October 1, 2009 in Geneva. Iran has signaled it is ready to discuss a possible exchange of atomic fuel at the upcoming talks for a Tehran-based research reactor after consultations broke down last year between the Islamic republic and the Vienna group comprising France, Russia, the United States and the UN atomic watchdog.

Under an initial proposal brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran would send more than 2,600 pounds (1,200 kilograms) of its low-enriched uranium to Russia and France for conversion into the fuel rods required for the Tehran reactor. In May, Iran responded by its own counter-proposal brokered by Turkey and Brazil, which was cold-shouldered by the West before the United Nations Security Council slapped a fresh round of sanctions on Tehran less than a month later, with the United States and EU taking separate measures. Crowley stressed that the fuel swap proposal "is not a substitute for the ongoing concerns that we have about the nature of Iran's nuclear program." He called for a "sustained, serious conversation, and where Iran has to convince the international community that it's abiding by its international commitments," before noting that "we have our doubts as to whether Iran is living up to its obligations." The nuclear negotiations aim to address international suspicion that Iran is seeking to develop atomic weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear program, a charge Tehran vehemently denies.

New York (AFP) Oct 27, 2010 The United States and its European allies are preparing a new, tougher deal over Iran's nuclear program, in a first test of the weight of broader economic sanctions, The New York Times said Wednesday. The offer would have Iran ship out more than 4,400 pounds (1,995 kilograms) of low-enriched uranium, more than two thirds the amount rejected by Tehran under a tentative deal struck in Vienna a year ago, senior officials told the daily.
The increase reflects Iran's growing production of uranium over the past year and US concerns that Iran has less than one nuclear bomb's worth of uranium on hand, according to the officials quoted in an article posted on the newspaper's website and published in Thursday's print edition.
"This will be a first sounding about whether the Iranians still think they can tough it out or are ready to negotiate," a senior American official told the newspaper.
"We have to convince them that life will get worse, not better, if they don't begin to move."
Another senior US official said the United States and its European partners were "very close to having an agreement" to present to Iran.
But the Islamic republic has yet to respond to a request by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represents world powers in the nuclear dialogue with Iran, to meet in Vienna in mid-November.
The Times said many US officials suspect the new initiative under development is likely to fail, but would fulfill US President Barack Obama's promise to keep negotiating even while the pressure of sanctions increases.
Iran has signaled it is ready to discuss a possible exchange of atomic fuel at the upcoming talks for a Tehran-based research reactor after consultations broke down last year between the Islamic republic and the Vienna group comprising France, Russia, the United States and the UN atomic watchdog.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Iran Begins Fueling Bushehr Plant from the Council on Foreign Relations

Iran Begins Fueling Bushehr Plant

Iran began loading fuel into its first nuclear power plant at Bushehr (PRESSTV), moving a step closer to its stated goal of generating nuclear power amid international pressure to curb its uranium enrichment activities. Iranian officials are aiming for the reactor to be generating electricity by 2011 (BBC), with enriched uranium supplied by Russia. Analysts say Iran's progress at Bushehr is meant to show Iranians the country can resist international sanctions (Reuters). The Bushehr plant does not bring Iran closer to building a nuclear bomb, since Russia will take away spent fuel that could be used to make weapons-grade plutonium. But Iran insists enriching uranium is needed to fuel future power stations and a medical research reactor. The country has not formally responded to an invitation by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton--who represents the UN Security Council permanent members plus Germany--for talks in Vienna (WashPost) from November 15 to 17.

Analysis:

On STRATFOR, George Friedman says Iran is "the one issue on which the president could galvanize public opinion," since many Democrats consider Iran a repressive violator of human rights, the Arabian Peninsula is afraid of Iran, and Europeans are hostile to Iran.

A new Chatham House paper says now is the time for Turkey to help curb Iran's nuclear ambitions, before the United States or Israel considers more coercive action against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Background:

This Backgrounder examines the U.S. government's designation of Iran as the "most active state sponsor of terrorism," which feeds concerns about Iran's growing nuclear program.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Iran Demands Affirmation of Atomic Rights From World Powers

Iran said today it would seek formal acknowledgment of its atomic rights in future discussions of its nuclear program with the five permanent U.N. Security Council member nations and Germany, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Sept. 27).

(Sep. 28) - Senior Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, shown in April. Tehran today indicated it would seek official acknowledgment from six world powers of its right to develop nuclear capabilities for peaceful purposes (Frederic Brown/Getty Images).

Washington and other governments have pressed Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program and other activities that could support nuclear weapons development. The Middle Eastern nation has defended its nuclear program as a strictly peaceful endeavor.
"Iran has announced its viewpoints and readiness for talks with the P-5+1. We are seeking to have Iran's nuclear rights recognized in these talks," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said (Agence France-Presse I/Google News, Sept. 28).
The discussions should acknowledge Iran's right under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to establish nuclear capabilities for civilian use, Deutsche Presse-Agentur quoted Mehmanparast as saying. Tehran would not trade away any rights or capabilities in the talks, the spokesman added (Deutsche Presse-Agentur/Monsters and Critics, Sept. 28).
Saeed Jalili, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, was working to schedule "a date and venue" to speak with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who would attend on behalf of the six world powers, AFP quoted the official as saying (AFP I).