TEHRAN, March 23 (AFP) - Iran warned the European Union Wednesday that nuclear negotiations underway in Paris must move towards a deal where the Islamic republic can resume uranium enrichment or else the talks would collapse.
Ali Agha Mohammadi, spokesman for the Islamic republic's Supreme National Security Council, said Tehran was expecting Britain, France and Germany to come up with an "understanding" on the issue.
"In today's negotiations it is expected that we reach an understanding about those firm and objective guarantees and the issue of resuming enrichment for the fuel cycle," he told state radio.
"If this does not happen, naturally it will be the end of the negotiations and we will return to our ordinary state and resume enrichment," he added, saying Iran needed to see "good progress" if it is to stay engaged in the diplomacy.
The EU-3 are trying to secure "objective guarantees" from Iran that it will not develop nuclear weapons under the guise of an atomic energy drive, and in return are offering a variety of incentives to Iran.
But Iran is insisting on maintaining a full-scale nuclear fuel cycle programme, including uranium enrichment, so it can be self-sufficient in fuelling a string of reactors it plans to build.
Uranium enrichment makes the fuel for civilian nuclear reactors, which Iran says it has every right to do under international law, but also what in highly refined form can be the explosive core of atom bombs.
Ideally, the EU-3 would like to see Iran ditch its fuel cycle work altogether -- a step that would provide the best guarantee to a sceptical international community.
The talks taking place in Paris Wednesday are at the "steering committee" level of the diplomatic process -- which began in December -- and are a chance for each side to review progress on the issue.
03/23/2005 10:42 GMT