Bloomberg: European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he hopes for a negotiated settlement over Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, and that he will meet with the country’s chief negotiator next week.
By Jonathan Stearns
Sept. 1 (Bloomberg) — European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he hopes for a negotiated settlement over Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, and that he will meet with the country’s chief negotiator next week.
“I hope very much that we will be able to solve this problem with Iran, which is a very serious one that we have, through diplomacy,” Solana said. “We have the need to discuss together, to analyze the document that they have given us as a reply to the package.”
Solana said that he doesn’t intend to bring up the issue of possible sanctions at the meeting with chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, which he said would take place “around” Sept. 7. Solana told reporters in Lappeenranta, Finland, today it would be “very difficult” to improve the EU’s offer of incentives aimed at persuading Iran to halt its nuclear enrichment program.
The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany will meet Sept. 7 in Berlin to discuss Iran’s stance on uranium enrichment, after the Iranian leadership defied a deadline to stop the nuclear work.
Iran resumed production of the nuclear fuel one week ago after a hiatus of almost seven weeks, the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency said today in a report seen by Bloomberg News. The IAEA also said its inspectors were blocked from Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility for five days from Aug. 11.
