AFP: British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday he wants Iran to decide whether it will accept an offer to end a nuclear stand-off “as soon as possible”, noting that a crunch meeting on Wednesday would be an ideal moment to speak out. LONDON, July 4, 2006 (AFP) – British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday he wants Iran to decide whether it will accept an offer to end a nuclear stand-off “as soon as possible”, noting that a crunch meeting on Wednesday would be an ideal moment to speak out.
There was no deadline for Tehran to respond to the international proposal, which offers economic and political incentives in return for Iran suspending uranium enrichment, Blair told a panel of senior members of parliament.
But, asked when he wanted an answer, Blair said: “I would like a response as soon as possible because I don’t really see what more there is to talk about.”
Pressed on whether the end of July would be a reasonable timeframe, the prime minister said: “I don’t set a deadline, but it would be interesting if there was an indication given at tomorrow’s meeting for example of where the Iranians really stood on this question.”
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, are due to hold talks in Brussels on Wednesday.
The meeting comes as pressure grows on Iran to respond to the offer put forward by Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.
Some Western countries fear that the Islamic republic is trying to develop nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian atomic energy programme. The government in Tehran maintains that it only wants to generate electricity.
Early signs are that Iran is resisting pressure for an early response. Larijani was quoted on Tuesday as saying Tehran might reply by early August.
Blair said the issues Iran was being asked to consider were fairly clear.
“It’s a question of whether they are prepared to enter into a framework that allows them to develop civil nuclear power,” he said.
At the same time, Tehran must accept the safeguards demanded by the international community to prevent such a programme developing into one that produces nuclear weapons, he added.
Blair was speaking during a twice-yearly grilling by the parliamentary Commons Liaison Committee on a range of government policy issues.
