Brussels, 15/12/2004 (Agence Europe) - Talks resumed on Monday evening in Brussels between the Foreign Ministers of France, the United Kingdom and Germany (on behalf of the European Union) and Iran with a view to concluding a trade and cooperation agreement (as a "reward" for the agreement signed with the IAEA for suspending uranium enrichment). Talks must move fast to reach concrete results within three months, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Kamal Karzai, said on Tuesday. "We hope to move fast and to carry out serious work in this phase of discussions", the minister told the press, stressing that Iran will make a first assessment of the state of progress of work in three months' time. "If discussions have been positive and we have obtained what we are entitled to, then we shall continue. If we have wasted our time, then we shall take a decision". One of the main difficulties lies in the duration of suspension. Mr Karzai repeated on Tuesday that suspension was "provisional" while Europeans want it to be permanent with reliable guarantees. One of the aims of these talks is to provide objective guarantees and for Iran's nuclear programme to be used for peaceful purposes, the British Foreign Minister, Jack Straw, said on Monday evening. "Iran must give up nuclear weapons once and for all", his French counterpart, Michel Barnier, said. Speaking of a "realistic" and "stage by stage" approach, German Minister Joschka Fischer stressed that "while voluntary suspension of uranium enrichment is in force, are commitments are also kept". Negotiations opened on Monday by ministers are nonetheless being continued at the level of experts.
On Monday, several hours before the official resumption of talks with Teheran, the External Relations Council adopted conclusions on Iran in which EU Foreign Ministers highlight the fact that "sustainable" suspension of any enrichment activity is "essential" for the continuation of the negotiation process. Any long-term arrangement that comes out of the talks with Iran, which began on Monday, should contain "objective guarantees" that Iran's nuclear programme is "exclusively for peaceful purposes".