The European Union is planning to offer incentives to Iran to get it to halt its nuclear program. The package includes freer trade and political rewards in return for a stop on uranium enrichment. Iran will be encouraged to import the fuel it needs for its civil nuclear power stations, rather than producing its own. In return the European Union would offer freer trade and political incentives.The ideas will be considered by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, as well as Germany at a meeting next week. It is a measure of the west's desperation that it has had to resort to such an incentive package. The chance of getting tougher wording on a UN resolution to threaten Iran appears slim. Both China and Russia which have seats on the Security Council and the power of veto, do not want to support any move which might open the door to military action.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says any proposal that does not include Iran's right to nuclear technology will be unacceptable. "No incentive can be of interest to the Iranian Government and the Iranian nation unless it includes Iran's right to benefit from peaceful nuclear technology, so we expect the European countries, as we have in the past to accept Iran's rights and then they will see the upmost cooperation from Iran," he said.