VIENNA, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- A resolution to Iran's nuclear future remains clouded, despite the start of talks here Monday between it, the United States, Russia and France aimed at cementing an in-principle agreement.
The talks, under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), are focused on an agreement to allow Iran to purchase nuclear fuel for civilian use but Iran's strong stand on its nuclear rights means a successful outcome is far from certain.
VIENNA TALKS SHADOWED
On Oct. 1, in the talks between Iran and a U.N.-backed group of six nations, the United States, Britain, Russia, France, Germany and China in Geneva, Iran agreed in principle to ship most of its existing low-grade enriched uranium to Russia and France, where it would be processed into fuel rods with a purity of 20 percent.
The enriched uranium would be transported back to Iran to be used in a research reactor for the manufacture of medical radioisotopes.
Iran has also agreed to allow international inspectors into its newly disclosed nuclear facilities for verification. Some international commentators believe this is a major concession by Iran.
However, just before the Vienna meeting, Iran struck a defiant tone, with an Iranian spokesman, Ali Shirzadian, saying the agreement of Iran "to buy nuclear fuel from abroad does not mean that Iran would halt its uranium enrichment activities."
"If the negotiations do not yield the desired results, Iran will start enriching uranium to the 20 percent level for its Tehran reactor. It will never give up this right," the spokesman added.
The statement cast a shadow over the fate of the Vienna talks. Some Austrian press say the statement has already threatened the chance of success of the talks, with at least the United States unlikely to agree to let Iran continue its enrichment activities.
However, all parties are maintaining a prudent attitude toward the talks.
On Monday evening, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said the negotiations got off to a "good start". However, coming out of the meeting, none of the diplomats present would comment on the discussions. The head of the Iranian delegation, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, simply said, "I endorse what the DG (director general ElBaradei) said."
What's more, Iran has not sent a senior negotiator to the talks.
"SHIPPING OUT" METHOD MIGHT BE VIABLE
IAEA experts point out enriched uranium, as nuclear fuel, has different categories. Highly enriched uranium with a purity of over 90 percent is known as weapons-grade uranium, which is used mainly for the production of nuclear weapons.
According to the IAEA nuclear safeguard regulations, the purity of civilian-use grade enriched uranium should be no higher than 20percent.
An IAEA survey found Iran had been able to produce enriched uranium with a purity of about 5 percent.
The IAEA believes that, at present, Iran has more than 8,300 centrifuges used for uranium enrichment, and has produced more than a ton of uranium enrichment material. All the material is low-enriched uranium, which could not be used as fuel for anything other than for nuclear power stations.
In that sense, Iran's current nuclear enrichment grade has not gone beyond the IAEA safety restrictions on the development of civilian-use nuclear energy, and therefore Iran's current nuclear enrichment activities could not be categorized as being intended to make nuclear weapons.
Therefore, though the West has been repeatedly crying wolf, the conclusion from the IAEA inspections remains that there is no adequate evidence to show that Iran's nuclear plan is for military purposes.
The current Western attempt to persuade Iran to ship low-enriched uranium abroad, have it further enriched and then shipped back to fuel Iran's reactor is obviously intended to stop Iran from continuing its enrichment activities and developing relevant technology and equipment at home. This would avoid the scenario of Iran developing highly enriched uranium some day.
The proposal has been described by some diplomats as a "win-win" solution, with which the Iranians would get the fuel they need, while Western countries' fears that the material could be used to make a bomb would be allayed, at least for a while.
Special Report: Iran Nuclear Crisis
