US Confirms Offer to Iran on Nuclear Pre-Negotiations

The State Department confirms that Iran could enter negotiations on itsnuclear program without initially meeting the demand of the UnitedStates and other major powers that it suspend its uranium enrichmentprogram. U.S. officials say they are amenable to a so-calledpre-negotiation in which Iran would only be required to stop adding toits enrichment capacity. VOA's David Gollust reports from the StateDepartment.

The offer of a so-called pre-negotiation period hadbeen reported in recent days in news accounts quoting variousdiplomatic sources, but the comments by State Department Spokesman SeanMcCormack were the most specific on the subject to date.

TheUnited States, along with the four other permanent U.N. SecurityCouncil member countries and Germany, have offered Iran a variety ofincentives including aid for its civil nuclear program if it halts auranium-enrichment drive that U.S. and other officials believe isweapons related.

European Union chief diplomat Javier Solana anda delegation of diplomats from the P-5 plus-1 group presented Iran inmid-June with what is described as a refreshed incentives proposal, towhich Iran has yet to give a final reply.

In a talk withreporters, State Department Spokesman McCormack confirmed that thebig-power proposal also includes the offer of a pre-negotiation period,lasting six weeks, in which Iran would add no more centrifuges to itsenrichment effort though existing ones could stay in operation.

Duringthat period, Iran would begin nuclear talks with members of the P-5plus 1, excluding the United States, on the benefits package.

TheUnited States, which has not had diplomatic relations with Iran innearly three-decades, would join the talks at the end of thepre-negotiation period provided, by that time, Iran has suspended itsenrichment program.

If Iran suspended the enrichment program, the major powers would suspend enactment of U.N. Security Council sanctions on Iran.

Inhis comments, McCormack defended the pre-negotiation offer amidsuggestions by some critics that it is too generous an offer to Tehran:

"Itstill holds that in order to realize full-blown negotiations with theUnited States at the table at the level of Secretary of State, theyneed to suspend - suspension for suspension. We think that this is aneminently-reasonable offer and should the Iranians accept the offer, wethink that at the end of what would be less than two months, you couldget to the desired goal: suspension for suspension and the beginning ofa negotiations, potentially on a whole host of issues," he said.

Secretaryof State Condoleezza Rice has said repeatedly that if Iran suspendeduranium enrichment, she would be prepared to directly engage herIranian counterpart in any venue on any issue the Iranians would wantto raise.

Iran is expected to deliver its answer to therefreshed incentives offer soon, probably in a Tehran meeting betweenthe European Union's Solana and Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.

Thoughpublic Iranian comments about the offer have been largely negative,officials here say there have also been remarks that suggest a debatewithin the Iranian leadership about whether to accept.

McCormacksaid turning down the incentives offer would mean increased politicalisolation and tighter economic curbs on Iran, noting this week'sdecision by the French energy firm Total to halt plans for a majorinvestment in Iranian oil fields.

The U.S. spokesman also saidthe Bush administration sees no need to send its key envoy on thenuclear issue, Undersecretary of State William Burns, to Tehran withMr. Solana on his expected mission. He said the U.S. commitment andgood faith with regard to the incentives offer is already clear.