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6 World Powers Meet About Iran Nukes 11/20 07:58
Representatives of six world powers on Friday were considering measures
against Iran for its refusal to halt nuclear enrichment activities, as the head
of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency warned Tehran not to miss the opportunity
to resolve the dispute.
BRUSSELS (AP) -- Representatives of six world powers on Friday were
considering measures against Iran for its refusal to halt nuclear enrichment
activities, as the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency warned Tehran not
to miss the opportunity to resolve the dispute.
The European Union said senior diplomats from the U.N. Security Council's
five permanent members plus Germany took part in talks in Brussels. They come a
day after President Barack Obama said the six nations will develop a package of
serious new punitive measures in coming weeks. He did not give details.
On Wednesday, Tehran indicated it would not export its enriched uranium for
further processing, effectively rejecting the latest plan brokered by the
International Atomic Energy Agency and aimed at delaying Iran's ability to
build a nuclear weapon.
Under the IAEA plan, Iran would export its uranium for enrichment in Russia
and France where it would be converted into fuel rods, which would be returned
to Iran about a year later. The rods can power reactors but cannot be readily
turned into weapons-grade material.
In Berlin, Mohamed El-Baradei, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency chief,
pressed Iran to work with the international community.
"I would hate to see that we are moving back to sanctions," El-Baradei said.
"Because sanctions, at the end of the day ... really don't resolve issues."
He said the IAEA had not yet received a formal reply from Tehran to its
proposals, although Iranian officials had told him they would not send uranium
for reprocessing abroad unless they first received promised fuel rods.
"Well, that to me is an extreme case of distrust," El-Baradei said. "And
what we are really trying to do is replace distrust by a degree of trust."
Iranian Foreign Minister Manochehr Mottaki on Thursday played down the
threat of sanctions saying embargoes had proved ineffective in the past and
that he didn't believe they would be tried again.
The meeting in Brussels involved political directors --- Foreign Ministry
officials below ministerial level, EU spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said. It was
supposed to take stock of the situation, and no decisions would be made, she
said.
The United States was represented by Undersecretary of State William Burns,
and Russia by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
(KA)
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