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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran to Offer Economic Incentive to Europe to Keep Uranium Enrichment |
| 2006-05-18 |
| TEHRAN, Iran — In a surprising turnabout, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Wednesday Tehran was willing to offer strong economic incentives to the European Union in return recognition of Iran's right to enrich uranium. "We are prepared to offer economic incentives to Europe in return for recognizing our right (to enrich uranium)," Hamid Reza Asefi was quoted by state-run radio as saying. CountryWatch: Iran "Iran's 70-million population market is a good incentive for Europe," the radio quoted Asefi as saying. European countries now have access to the Iranian market, but Tehran has in recent years turned more frequently to Russian and China for trade deals. The comments followed Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad disdainful rejection of European plans to offer incentives to his country to give up its uranium enrichment program, saying it would be like trading gold for chocolate. European nations have weighed adding a light-water reactor to a package of incentives meant to persuade Tehran to permanently give up enrichment — or face the threat of U.N. Security Council sanctions. But in a nationally televised speech before thousands of people in central Iran, Ahmadinejad cast scorn on the proposal. "Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?" he said. Senior diplomats and EU government officials said Tuesday that the tentative plans were being discussed among France, Britain and Germany as part of a possible package to be presented to representatives of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members and Germany at a meeting in London. All spoke on condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the information. The London talks were postponed Wednesday until next week to allow more time for phone discussions of what should be included in the package of incentives and penalties to be offered to Tehran, said a diplomat, requesting anonymity for the same reason. U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack declined to say Tuesday whether a light-water reactor would be offered in the package. But he insisted that Iran would be required to halt its program of enriching and reprocessing uranium on Iranian soil, saying the United States and others "do not want the Iranian regime to have the ability to master those critical pathways to a nuclear weapon." In his speech, Ahmadinejad said Iran "won't accept any suspension or end" to its uranium enrichment activities. He said Iran had trusted the European Union in 2003 and suspended its nuclear activities as a gesture to boost negotiations over its nuclear program, only to have the Europeans demand Iran permanently halt its uranium enrichment program. The 2003 deal called for guarantees that Iran's nuclear program wouldn't diverge from civilian ends toward producing weapons. Iran agreed to the request, but negotiations collapsed in August 2005 when the Europeans said the best guarantee was for Iran to permanently give up its uranium enrichment program. Iran responded by resuming uranium reprocessing activities at its uranium conversion facility in Isfahan. "We won't be bitten twice," Ahmadinejad said. "We recommend that you not sacrifice your interests for the sake of others," he said in an apparent warning to the European Union about supporting the position advocated by the United States. Ahmadinejad reiterated his threat to pull out of Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty if international pressure to give up uranium enrichment continued. "Don't force governments and nations to renounce their membership in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty," he said asserting that Iran had the right to a civilian nuclear power program. With Iran's nuclear program now before the Security Council, the Americans are at the forefront of efforts to introduce a council resolution that would demand Iran give up enrichment or else face the threat of sanctions. Washington seeks to make such a resolution militarily enforceable, something opposed by Russia and China, which continue instead to favor talks meant to persuade Tehran to compromise. In the latest sign of persisting differences, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that Beijing and Moscow will not vote for the use of force in resolving the nuclear dispute. In a gesture to Tehran, Lavrov also said Ahmadinejad will attend a summit next month in Shanghai, China, of leaders from Russia, China and four Central Asian nations. "We cannot isolate Iran or exert pressure on it," Lavrov told reporters. "Far from resolving this issue of proliferation, it will make it more urgent." A light-water reactor is considered less likely to be misused for nuclear proliferation than the heavy water facility Iran is building at the city of Arak, which _ once completed by early 2009 _ will produce plutonium waste. Still, light-water reactors are not proliferation-proof, because they are fueled by enriched uranium, which can be processed to make highly enriched "weapons-grade" material for nuclear warheads. |
| Posted by:anonymous5089 |
| #13 My first thought was: Scrappleface. Alas, no. |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2006-05-18 22:47 |
| #12 He can bribe anybody he wants -- it's not going to stop George Bush and/or Israel from doing what George Bush and/or Israel must do. |
| Posted by: Darrell 2006-05-18 17:58 |
| #11 I have a buck three eighty six that says he already has tried to bribe the Euros. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2006-05-18 17:35 |
| #10 Theres different "streets" in Iran of course. there are north Teheran secular middle class, antiregime students, and some ethnic minorities, who are dead set against the regime. But as others here have pointed out, theyre a minority, not enough to make a revolution. Theres also hardliners who SUPPORT the regime. And theres apparently a large group thats not wild about the regime, but not dead set against it, thats unhappy with the weak economy, but will listen to Ahmadinajads promises. The regime is working overtime through their media to convince them that the West is trying to stop them from getting nuclear ENERGY - this is a consistent theme in the regimes rhetoric. Its also a lie, of course - you dont need enrichment to have atomic power, you can import enriched fuel, and most countries with atomic ENERGY programs the size of Irans do so. The fixed costs of running a civilian enrichment program are high, and not worth it if you only have a few power reactors. But the regime doesnt want the Iranian fence sitters to get wind of that, cause the notion of being persecuted by the west accounts for much of what support they have. The EU proposal was an attempt to undercut that position, and this response is a counter attempt to blame the big bad "Western Imperialists" and its not aimed ONLY at the internal arena - its also aimed at the larger muslim world, which theyre counting on to change the balance - an Islamic world that supports them will increase the cost to the EU of standing with the US, and will lessen cost to China and Russia of any vetos or other obstruction they engage in. The Iranian regime has attempted to play the Islamic world, with mixed success, since they took power. The economic inducements theyve offered to Russia and China werent announced in public, so blatantly as this. If they wanted to make a serious bribe to Europe, theyd do it in private. Which would make it much easier for the Euros to accept. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2006-05-18 16:32 |
| #9 Mahmoud's having fun, isn't he? Offer "incentives" to the dhimmies and a letter requesting conversion to the Pope. On a roll. More bottom of the well stuff, but Mahmoud appears to think EU is ready to accept dhimmitude officially. |
| Posted by: Shuns Uleating3851 2006-05-18 15:44 |
| #8 LH's comment "Its just one more jab, for internal consumption - so he can tell his internal public "see how compromising I am, and how they reject it" makes sense if you assume that the public Ahmadi Nejad is worried about are the mullahs on the guardian council and the streets they have to worry about are the ones in front of the class A mosques in Qom. |
| Posted by: mhw 2006-05-18 13:08 |
| #7 based on the headline I thought for sure this was on scrappleface but actually its just business as usual in the mullarky |
| Posted by: mhw 2006-05-18 13:04 |
| #6 LH has rose colored lenses surgically implanted in his eyes. If the mullahs gave a rat's ass what the Iranian street cared, they wouldn't be pulling crap like banning festivals. It's another delay, another chance for the striped pantsed traitors to put off actually doing anything about Iran. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2006-05-18 12:44 |
| #5 Offering economic incentives back to EU gets a laugh out of me everytime I hear it. What a beautiful way to tell the Euros to stuff it. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2006-05-18 12:22 |
| #4 Why not? He bought off Russa and China. Should work with the EU whore as well. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2006-05-18 12:02 |
| #3 nah, even if they wanted to take it, the fact that he made a public offer makes it impossible to take. Its just one more jab, for internal consumption - so he can tell his internal public "see how compromising I am, and how they reject it" Says to me that Euro offer of a light water reactor may be playing well on the Iranian street, or at least the regime fears it is. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2006-05-18 11:56 |
| #2 This is bad, very bad. The EU is so crooked they may take the money and run. |
| Posted by: Glerong Omavins3424 2006-05-18 11:45 |
| #1 The "Offer a Whore More Money" plan... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-05-18 11:14 |