Iran sees "genuine" EU effort to reach nuke deal

Louis Charbonneau, Reuters:

The European Union's three biggest powers appear to genuinely want an agreement with Iran, which is determined to become a producer of enriched nuclear fuel, a senior Iranian official said on Thursday. READ MORE

Sharing Washington's suspicions that Tehran is developing the capability to make atomic weapons, France, Britain and Germany have offered Iran economic and political incentives if it permanently abandons its uranium enrichment programme, which could produce nuclear fuel for power plants and bombs. ...

Iran has accused the Europeans of dragging their feet in the talks and some European diplomats have admitted privately this was a strategy on their part to keep Tehran talking.

But Sirus Naseri, who led Iran's delegation at this week's EU-Iran talks in Geneva, told Reuters: "The general trend of the negotiations (with the EU) right now indicates there is a willingness to make a genuine effort to come to an agreeable solution, a solution that both sides can live with."

European diplomats have said their governments are determined to reach a deal with Iran to demonstrate that the EU can wield diplomatic clout on a key global security problem.

EU diplomats say their official position in the negotiations is that Iran must dismantle its uranium enrichment programme, but are considering Iran's proposal for a small-scale enrichment plant at Natanz in central Iran.

They said there were no breakthroughs at the EU-Iran nuclear working group talks on Tuesday and Wednesday though both sides agreed to continue meeting. The next round will be held at a more senior level in London on April 29. ...