Vienna - Iran sees signs that the United Nations Security
Council might end its engagement in the country's nuclear issues,
after the body's permanent members indicated a readiness for direct
talks, Iran's UN ambassador in Vienna said Wednesday.
Permanent Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia
and the United States, as well as Germany told the board of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Tuesday they wanted to find
a comprehensive diplomatic solution through direct talks.
But they also called on Iran to heed the Security Council's
demands to stop its uranium-enrichment programme, which would end UN
sanctions and open the way for talks on improved economic and
political cooperation.
Iran's ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh commented, 'If I read
between the lines, and perhaps if I am not too optimistic this might
be a way that they are going to correct their mistake and stop the
engagement of the United Nations Security Council.'
In a turnabout from long-standing US policy, the new
administration in Washington has said it is ready for bilateral
engagement with Tehran's leaders.
Soltanieh indicated that compromises might be possible once the
Security Council stopped dealing with his country's nuclear file.
The diplomat dismissed the notion put forward by experts that
Iran's 1,010 kilogrammes of low-enriched uranium are theoretically
enough for making one nuclear weapon in a series of further steps.
'In many countries they produce tons of material,' Soltanieh said,
adding that the enrichment facility in Natanz was under constant
surveillance of the IAEA, thus preventing its use for military means.
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