AFP: The European Union and Iran gave themselves breathing space in their talks on Tehran’s controversial nuclear programme on Wednesday by agreeing to return to the table in August — after Iran’s presidential elections next month. Following a three-hour meeting in Geneva with Iran’s chief negotiator Hassan Rowhani, the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany, representing the 25-member EU, pledged to come up with concrete proposals on cooperation by the end of July. AFP
%E2%80%9D.%20%0A%0AWhile%20prohibiting%20the%20expansion%20of%20nuclear%20weapons%20capability%20to%20new%20countries,%20like%20Iran,%20the%20NPT%20outlines%20a%20country%E2%80%99s%20right%20to%20nuclear%20power%20for%20civilian%20use.%20%0A%0AFrench%20Foreign%20Minister%20Michel%20Barnier%20said%20the%20future%20European%20proposals%20would%20%E2%80%9Cnotably%20deal%20with%20the%20establishment%20of%20a%20nculear%20programme%20in%20Iran%20that%20is%20exclusively%20destined%20for%20civilian%20use%E2%80%9D.%20%0A%0ABut%20Barnier%20ruled%20out%20the%20likelihood%20of%20a%20deal%20that%20would%20include%20uranium%20conversion,%20one%20of%20the%20key%20capabilities%20of%20the%20nuclear%20plant%20in%20Isfahan%20that%20Iran%20wants%20to%20reopen.%20%0A%0AConversion%20is%20an%20initial%20stage%20in%20the%20nuclear%20fuel%20treatment%20cycle%20which%20is%20a%20precursor%20to%20enrichment.%20%0A%0A%E2%80%9CThere%20is%20no%20concrete%20proposal%20on%20the%20table%20at%20this%20stage,%E2%80%9D%20said%20German%20Foreign%20Minister%20Joschka%20Fischer.%20%0A%0A%E2%80%9CWe%20have%20our%20different%20positions%20and%20it%20is%20not%20easy%20to%20narrow%20them,%E2%80%9D%20he%20added.%20%0A%0AAn%20Iranian%20diplomat%20told%20AFP%20that%20Iran%20had%20managed%20to%20convince%20the%20EU-3%20to%20make%20its%20%E2%80%9Cdetailed%E2%80%9D%20proposals%20earlier,%20in%20late%20July%20or%20August,%20instead%20of%20in%20September.%20%0A%0AA%20spokeswoman%20for%20EU%20foreign%20policy%20chief%20Javier%20Solana,%20who%20also%20took%20part%20in%20the%20meeting,%20said%20talks%20would%20not%20resume%20until%20Tehran%20responded%20to%20the%20EU%20proposals.%20%0A%0A%E2%80%9CThe%20afternoon%20was%20hard%20and%20we%20have%20to%20expect%20tough%20negotiations,%E2%80%9D%20said%20spokeswoman%20Christina%20Gallach.%20%0A</p></img>%0A</div></div><div%20class=)
