Iran ready for talks with US

2005-01-24 21:11

Teheran / New York - Iran said on Monday it would be ready to talk to the United States about its controversial nuclear programme if the US refrained from setting conditions.

Teheran's statement came as Germany tried to reconcile European and US approaches towards the issue in the wake of President George W. Bush's recent declaration that he did not rule out a military strike against Iran over the issue.

"If the US put no preconditions and adopted a peaceful approach, then we would consider resuming talks," Iranian government spokesperson Abdullah Ramezanzadeh was quoted as saying by the ISNA students' news agency.

Consultation

"But if they come up with threats, then we will react accordingly," he said in response to the threat by Washington, which accuses Iran of developing weapons of mass destruction and trying to undermine its efforts in Iraq.

Meanwhile, German foreign minister Joschka Fischer said on Monday he hoped for a high degree of consultation between the US and Europe over the matter and announced he planned to discuss the issue with designated US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday.

Also on Monday, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said in Berlin he opposed the use of military force against Iran over the matter, but emphasised the goal of European Union (EU) talks with Teheran was clear: to prevent the country from getting nuclear weapons.

Britain, France and Germany - the EU's "Big Three" - have been attempting to reach a deal with Iran over the past years in which Teheran agrees to verifiable moves under which its nuclear programme would be limited to non-military use in exchange for trade and aid.

<>Mossad

However, the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency said on Monday Iran would soon have reached the "point of no return" at which it would be able to produce an atomic bomb.

Iran would soon be able "to create enriched material without needing external help," Mossad head Meir Dagan told the Knesset (parliament) foreign affairs and defence committee, according to Israeli media reports.

"From there the road to a nuclear bomb is close," he said and accused the international community of not doing enough to stop the Iranian nuclear programme.

However, Teheran reiterated that it had always acted in co-ordination with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and had undertaken no clandestine nuclear projects. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA