UN chief urges faster response from Iran on nuclear package

Iran Focus: London, Jun. 28 – United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan urged Iran on Tuesday to speed up its response to an international proposal aimed at ending the standoff over its nuclear program.
Iran Focus

London, Jun. 28 – United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan urged Iran on Tuesday to speed up its response to an international proposal aimed at ending the standoff over its nuclear program.

In a meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, Annan told Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki that Tehran should give “full consideration” to the package of incentives by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.

The P5+1 have said that they expect Iran to suspend uranium enrichment for the deal to go ahead.

Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said earlier this month that Tehran would give its response to the proposal by August 22.

Speaking to reporters before his meeting with Mottaki, Annan recalled his previous contacts with the Iranian Foreign Minister in Geneva. “I indicated after my discussions with the Foreign Minister that I was under the impression I did not think they will give their answer before the G8 summit. I didn’t go as far as to say mid-August, and I hope it is still possible for them to give an answer before mid-August, but I will pursue that with the minister”, he said.