BEIJING, Sept. 11 -- Iran's nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, and the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, have finished two days of talks. They said they made positive progress in the search for a compromise to avoid UN sanctions over Tehran's atomic program.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana was trying to clarify whether Iran might shift closer to satisfying a demand to stop enriching uranium to qualify for trade benefits offered by world powers, and pre-empt sanctions by the UN Security Council.
Solana said he was very pleased with the outcome of the talks.
Solana said:"I want to tell you that the meeting the hours of work have been productive. We have clarified some of the misunderstandings that existed before, that we have made progress."
Solana said the progress made was worthwhile, and that he and Larijani will meet again next week to continue the talks.
Larijani agreed with Solana that positive progress had been made during the talks.
Larijani said: "We have been able to discuss some aspects of the issues discussed and introduced in the package proposed by the other side and also the response we had to it. We have made constructive progress I should say."
He also agreed with Solana's appraisal that some misunderstandings of both parties had been clarified during the talks.
But faced with the economic repercussions of isolating the world's number four oil supplier, many in the EU might prefer a face-saving compromise, possibly in getting Tehran to curb enrichment after the start of a process to implement the benefits package.
In Tehran, the Foreign Ministry repeated that Iran would accept no preconditions for negotiations and again dismissed the idea that it would agree to shelve enrichment.
(Source: CCTV.com)
