Allies put ball in Iran’s court on nuke work

Allies put ball in Iran’s court on nuke work
Nations get together on incentive deal.

Published Friday, June 2, 2006

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - The United States and five other world powers have an offer they say Iran can’t refuse - if it knows what’s best for it.

Yesterday, the six nations came up with incentives they hope will persuade Tehran to stop suspect nuclear activities, and they made it clear Iran risks U.N. sanctions if it rejects the package.

Iran must decide quickly whether to resume negotiations, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today.

"We do need to have an answer, and it can’t be months," Rice said on NBC’s "Today" show. "It really needs to be within weeks."

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett announced the proposals put together by the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.

The package would be on the table for a proposed new round of bargaining with Tehran about what the West calls a rogue nuclear program that could produce a bomb. The United States, in a major policy shift, agreed this week to join those talks under certain conditions. It would be the first major public negotiations between the adversaries in more than a quarter century.

Rice met with the foreign ministers from the European nations that led talks with Iran that stalled last year. Also present were representatives of Russia and China, which have been Tehran’s trading partners and might join in any future talks with Iran.

Because Russia and China hold vetoes in the U.N. Security Council, the United States needs their cooperation to seek sanctions or other harsh measures by that body.

Rice refused to give details of the package but said she is satisfied with its contents.

Asked on ABC’s "Good Morning America" why the word "sanctions" does not appear in the brief statement the six nations issued after settling on the proposal to Iran last night, Rice dropped a hint.

"You don’t know what words are in this proposal," Rice said.

The statement issued by foreign ministers from the six powers and the European Union did not mention economic sanctions - the punishment or deterrent favored by the United States and that Iran has tried hard to avoid.

The powers agreed privately, however, that Iran could face tough Security Council sanctions if it fails to give up the enrichment of uranium and other disputed nuclear activities, U.S. officials said.

Diplomats feared Iran would immediately reject any invitation to bargain if the threat of sanctions was explicit, officials involved in the discussions said.

The foreign ministers’ statement threatens unspecified "further steps" in the Security Council.

The group’s statement also contained no details of the incentives to be offered to Iran in the coming days. Diplomats previously have said the package includes help developing legitimate nuclear power plants and various economic benefits.

"We are prepared to resume negotiations should Iran resume suspension of all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities," as previously required by the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, Beckett said.

If Iran returned to the talks stalled since last year, "we would also suspend action in the Security Council," Beckett said.

The Security Council, which can levy mandatory global sanctions and back its mandates with military force, has been reviewing Iran’s case for two months. Its permanent, veto-holding members have been at odds about the possibility of sanctions, with Russia and China opposed.

Iran’s foreign minister welcomed the idea of direct talks but rebuffed the U.S. condition that Tehran must put uranium enrichment on hold before talks can begin. Iran insists its nuclear work is peaceful and aimed at developing a new energy source.

"Iran welcomes dialogue under just conditions but won’t give up our rights," the state-run Iranian television quoted Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki as saying yesterday.