Germany, France Say Iranian Reply Not Enough
August 25, 2006
After mulling Iran's response to the offer from world powers, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that it was unsatisfactory.
"It does not state what we expect -- namely 'we are suspending uranium enrichment, coming to the negotiating table and will speak about the opportunities and possibilities for Iran.' That is unfortunately not the case," Merkel said in a television interview.
"The decisive sentence is missing and this needs to be addressed."
Germany is part of the sextet that offered the package of incentives to Tehran to stop nuclear fuel work, along with the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China.
On Friday, France also said that the Iranian response fell short. However, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said it was important to avoid an escalation of the conflict with Iran.
"For the moment it is not satisfactory," he told RTL radio. "But the worst thing would be to escalate into a confrontation with Iran on the one hand, and the Muslim world with Iran, and the West. That would be the clash of the civilizations that France today is practically alone in trying to avoid."
On Tuesday, Iran offered to start serious talks over its nuclear program but there was no sign that it had agreed to a United Nations Security Council demand that it freeze uranium by Aug. 31 or face the prospect of sanctions.
Academics offer details of Iranian response
Iran is seeking time guarantees on getting benefits -- such as light-water reactors -- with its response to the international offer, according to a report published on the Internet by two Iranian academics, one of whom has close ties to the government.
"Iran wants firm guarantees on the proposed offers of nuclear assistance, such as the sale of light water reactors to Iran, as well as a secured nuclear fuel supply," Abbas Maleki and Kevah Afrasiabi said on the AgenceGlobal.com Web site.
They said Iran's response was moderate in tone and encouraged the Western powers to engage it rather than rush to sanctions.
Maleki, director of the International Institute for Caspian Studies in Tehran, and Afrasiabi, a political scientist who has also taught in Tehran, added that if there is a move towards sanctions after Aug. 31 "despite the positive dimensions of Iran's offer, the stage will be set for a full-scale international crisis."
Russia: No need to discuss sanctions
On Friday, Russia said that international concerns over Iran's nuclear program did not warrant any discussion of sanctions at the moment.
"I know of no instances in world practice and previous experience in which sanctions have achieved their aim and proved effective," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said. "Russia stands for further political and diplomatic efforts to settle the issue."
The US State Department said on Thursday that there was still time for Iran to comply with the Aug. 31 deadline.
"We obviously encourage Iran to make the right choice," said State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos. "If Iran doesn't comply, the resolution makes very clear that the UN Security Council will then adopt appropriate measures under Article 41, Chapter 7 (of the UN charter) providing for sanctions."