25/10/2013 00:00
TW
0

by MONITOR
MOHAMMAD ElBaradei, the head of the UN's Atomic Energy Authority, was in optimistic mood at the conclusion of three days of talks between the group of five (Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States) and Iran. His draft proposals for an agreement over Iran's enriched uranium production had been approved by the negotiators and he said he hoped to receive confirmation of this approval from national capitals within four days. The Iranian representative, Ali Arshar Soltanieh qualified his belief that the draft was “on the right track” by saying that “senior officials” in Tehran would also want to study it.

The ElBaradei proposals envision the shipping of low enriched uranium from Iran to Russia where it would be processed further and returned for use in an existing research reactor in Tehran. In this way the amount of weapons-grade uranium in Iran's possession would be reduced below the level needed for nuclear weapons production. This proposal rests on Iran's insistence that it is enriching uranium for peaceful uses and provides a way by which that requirement could be met. Mr ElBaradei said that the draft agreement gave a balanced approach which “could open a way for a complete normalization of relations between Iran and the international community”. That is a bold ambition, especially taking into account the unstable nature of Iran's government at the moment; but the united stand being taken by Russia and the Western countries on this issue encourages such an approach.