Julian Borger at The Guardian writes:
During a full day of talks in a Moscow hotel, the chief Iranian negotiator, Saeed Jalili, repeatedly called for relief from international sanctions and international recognition of Iran’s right to enrich uranium. He also rejected a multilateral confidence-building proposal for Iran to suspend the production of 20%-enriched uranium ”“ widely viewed as a significant proliferation risk ”“ shut the underground plant where much of it is made, and export its stockpile of the material.
In return for these demands ”“ which a senior western diplomat summarised as “stop, shut and ship” ”“ the six-nation group negotiating with Iran, comprising the US, UK, Germany, France, Russia and China, offered to provide fuel for a medical research reactor, as well as help on civilian nuclear safety and parts for civilian airliners.
Jalili rejected this offer. He called for sanctions relief in return for co-operating with the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, and international acceptance of Iran’s right to enrich uranium, something the west is refusing to grant without far greater Iranian transparency on its programme.
“We had an intense and tough exchange of views,” Michael Mann, an EU spokesman speaking on behalf of all six countries, said. “They responded to our package of proposals from Baghdad but, in doing so, brought up lots of questions and well-known positions, including past grievances.”
“We agreed to reflect overnight on each others’ positions,” Mann added.
Double-plus ungood. The warmongers are waiting in the wings, salivating.
REFL:
is tweeting that Borger’s assessment is too pessimistic, that there is basis for compromise.
I tend to think so, too. Even in Borger’s piece, he recognizes that
Nobody involved in the negotiations should be expecting to get every point of their proposal the first time around. They will say that they are, but that is the nature of negotiations. And I’m not convinced that it’s a sure thing that sanctions relief splits the group. Most likely Iran hopes so.
And there’s still another day.
Some good signs, some not so good.
“We can’t judge the talks every five minutes.”
…quite getting where their partners are coming from:
Look, guys, newsflash. One does not build a hardened facility like Fordow, fill it with cascades devoted in large part to 20% enrichment and then give that high value chip away first. That’s the lock, the insurance. Fordow is the thing that goes away last. 20% enrichment in that facility (and maybe even generally) can be potentially be suspended at some interim stage in the negotiations, but the simple reality is that something else has to go first.
“Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.” ~ Steve Jobs