Brussels, 15/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - Meeting on Monday in Brussels, Foreign Affairs Ministers from the Union said that they were ready to put a package of proposals together - audacious “incentives” and “sanctions” to attempt to drag the Iranian nuclear dossier out of its current dead-end. Until now, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, USA, France, United Kingdom and Russia) have been unable to reach a compromise on a legally binding draft resolution for Tehran. High Representative Javier Solana declared to the press that, “this will be a number of generous measures, an audacious package that will focus on questions linked to the nuclear issue, economic, and perhaps, if necessary, security questions”. Similar to the package of proposals rejected by Iran last August, this package will be a better and improved version with measures such as: a chapter on technical cooperation, which according to Mr Solana provides, “the best technology there is in the civilian nuclear arena”; an economic and trade cooperation package; a political cooperation policy and one for the area of regional security. Ursula Plassnik the Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the Council, affirmed, “the idea is not one of further isolating Tehran but of getting them back to the negotiating table”.
“If the Iranians' aim is to have electricity produced from nuclear, it will be difficult for them to refuse the package which the EU-3 (France, Germany, United Kingdom) put to them,” said Mr Solana, before continuing, “if they reject the package, it will mean that Tehran is wanting something other than electricity from nuclear energy”. The package of measures, discussed by the External Relations Council and containing not only incentives, but also sanctions, will only become effective if Tehran suspends all uranium enrichment activities (especially its research and development activities). The broad thrust of the package will probably be put to the negotiators from the five permanent members of the Security Council at a meeting on Friday in London. “I think the Iranians will realise that the Europeans are courageous. This is one of the last chances to resolve the conflict diplomatically,” Luxemburg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn told AFP. Noting Tehran's failure to conform to UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Authority requirements and suspend all its uranium enrichment activities, the conclusions of the Council stress that “the EU hopes that Iran will accept this offer”.