Deadline looms but Iran 'won't halt atomic work'

IRAN: Iran said it would not suspend uranium enrichment, ruling out the main demand in a nuclear package backed by six world powers that aims to allay Western fears Tehran is seeking to build atomic bombs.

Iran says it will formally respond by Tuesday to proposals made by the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany. The six have offered incentives for Iran to suspend enrichment, a process that has both military and civilian uses. Tehran, which insists its nuclear aims are purely civilian, shows no sign of accepting the package.

"We are not going to suspend (enrichment). The issue was that everything should come out of negotiations, but suspension of uranium enrichment is not on our agenda," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told a weekly news conference.

Western diplomats say Iran must halt the atomic work before talks can start. Any response that falls short of that is likely to be considered a rejection of the offer in Western capitals.

"As the proposal has had several dimensions, our answer will be multi-dimensional too," Asefi said, suggesting Iran will not give a clear 'yes' or 'no'.

Iran's case has already been sent back to the U.N. Security Council because Tehran did not reply quickly enough and, last month, the council passed a resolution demanding Iran suspend enrichment by Aug. 31 or face possible sanctions.

The package offers Iran state-of-the-art nuclear technology, the easing of some trade restrictions and other incentives such as support for a regional security dialogue. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a statement, appealed to Iran to respond positively.

"Iran's reply will, I trust, be positive and that this will be the foundation for a final, negotiated settlement," he said.

The United States has said it will join multilateral talks with Iran if it accepts, a move seen as a policy shift in Washington which cut ties with Tehran after the 1979 Islamic revolution. But Washington has also warned of swift U.N. action if Iran refuses.

Western diplomats who follow the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) say Iran has been "complicating" the U.N. watchdog's work in monitoring nuclear sites in the run-up to the Aug. 31 deadline, denying entry to a senior inspector and cutting back on multiple-entry visas for IAEA staff.

"It's not outright obstruction, but Iran is creating complications within its rights (not created before). They have reduced cooperation to a minimum under treaty obligations," one Western diplomat in Europe said.

Asefi said one inspector had been "replaced on Iran's request" although he said Iran was continuing to give routine access. But he suggested this policy could change.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has threatened to quit the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if Iran feels undue pressure.

Tehran, Monday, Reuters