Solana to Table Report on Iran in Time

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana would table a report on Iran’s attitude to engagement in nuclear talks whether or not there will be a new meeting with Iran’s nuclear envoy, his spokeswoman said on Friday. Cristina Gallach told reporters that Solana would prefer to make his evaluation at the end of November to the five UN Security Council members and Germany “after a second meeting with Iranian negotiators.”

“If that’s not possible, he will do so without one,” she said.

Solana met Iranian top nuclear negotiators, Saeed Jalili and his predecessor Ali Larijani, on Oct. 23 in Rome and he is said to be trying to arrange another meeting with them before the end of this month, when he must present a report to the UN Security Council for discussion.

Since June 2006, Solana has held several rounds of talks with Larijani, trying to persuade Iran to suspend uranium enrichment in exchange for a package of political and economic incentives, but Iran reiterates that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it is entitled to uranium enrichment.

A report released on Thursday by Mohammed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) admitted that Iran has made some progress in revealing the extent of its nuclear program. The report also said that it has found Iran truthful about key aspects of its past nuclear activities.

The Security Council members – Russia, China, the United States, France and Britain, plus Germany, will decide whether to impose new sanctions on Iran on the basis of the two reports.

Many countries have changed or softened stance on the issue following the release of ElBaradei’s report.

Washington accuses Tehran of using its nuclear program as cover for a drive to develop an atomic bomb, a charge Iran strongly denies, saying it only wants to generate electricity. The United States has no corroborative evidence or proof to substantiate its allegations.

The United States said it would renew efforts for new UN sanctions against Tehran.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the IAEA’s report as “fairly realistic and almost free from some super powers pressures.”

Iran says that its nuclear program is for civilian use.