海角大神

Behind closed doors in Istanbul yesterday, six world powers gave Iran more details on their latest proposal to limit Iran鈥檚 most sensitive nuclear work 鈥� an offer Iran says still has "no balance" because it asks Iran to give up more than it gets in return.

In marathon 13.5-hour talks, the world powers clarified demands made last month that Iran聽limit聽uranium enrichment to 20 percent 鈥� a level not too far technically from bomb-grade 鈥撀燼nd put its Fordow underground facility out of service, in exchange for modest relief from sanctions that have crippled Iran鈥檚 economy.

Iran said that the incentives聽were not strong聽enough, and that the聽outcome聽of a year-long negotiation was still too ambiguous to take initial steps that could overcome mutual mistrust.聽That result tempers optimism voiced by Iran in late February that changes in the six world powers' offer were a potential "turning point."

鈥淔rom our side, [the proposed] relief of the sanctions is not proportionate with what they are asking Iran to do,鈥� says an Iranian close to the talks who asked not to be identified further because of the sensitivity of the negotiations. 鈥淭hey are asking Iran to suspend 20 percent enrichment, and reduce the readiness of Fordow, which from our point of view is [the same as] shutting Fordow down. We argued that there is no balance between what they are asking, and what they are offering.鈥�

Obama: Iran faces 'stark' choice

The talks came as US President Barack Obama issued his annual message to mark the Persian New Year celebration, Nowruz. Mr. Obama said he was 鈥渉opeful that our countries can move beyond tension鈥� but that Iran鈥檚 leaders faced a stark 鈥渃hoice鈥� over their nuclear program, which he said 鈥渢hreatens peace and security in the region and beyond.鈥澛�

鈥淚 have no illusions about the difficulty of overcoming decades of mistrust,鈥� said Obama, adding that the US 鈥減refers鈥� a diplomatic solution.

鈥淚ndeed, if 鈥撀燼s Iran鈥檚 leaders say 鈥� their nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, then there is a basis for a practical solution,鈥� said Obama. 鈥淣ow is the time for the Iranian government to take immediate and meaningful steps to reduce tensions and work toward an enduring, long-term settlement of the nuclear issue.鈥�

Not enough

Top diplomats from Iran and the P5+1 group (the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany) are due to meet again in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on April 5 and 6. The P5+1 wants Iran to agree to some initial聽limits on聽higher-level enrichment in exchange for easing restrictions on trade in gold and precious metals and petrochemical exports.

But聽its聽offer does not ease the sanctions against Iran鈥檚 oil exports or central bank dealings, which have done most to harm Iran鈥檚 economy聽and which聽Iran considers聽essential if it is to eventually,聽permanently curb its nuclear advances.

The P5+1 offered to enact no new United Nations Security Council or European Union sanctions against Iran, but 鈥渢he Americans did not promise anything鈥� about preventing more unilateral US measures, said the Iranian source 鈥� important because some in Congress are calling for further sanctions on Iran.

鈥淭he meeting also provided an opportunity for both [P5+1] and Iranian experts to explore each other's positions on a number of technical subjects,鈥� said a statement from Michael Mann, spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, whose office handles negotiations on behalf of the P5+1.聽聽

US and P5+1 officials did not brief the press after the technical talks, referring journalists instead to the EU statement.

After the Almaty round three weeks ago, a senior US official said the revised P5+1 proposal聽put to Iran聽aimed to lay out聽initial steps from both sides that would 鈥減ut time on the clock.鈥� This proposal eases earlier demands that Iran halt all enrichment right from the start, including low-levels of 5 percent; export all 20-percent enriched uranium; and close Fordow altogether.

Finding ground for trust

Iran says it rejects nuclear weapons as un-Islamic and聽is only pursuing a nuclear program for the purpose of producing energy. But it has yet to resolve all outstanding allegations about past weapons-related work with UN nuclear inspectors, prompting concern from Washington to Tel Aviv to Beijing about its real intentions.

After the Almaty talks, Iran鈥檚 chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili聽told 海角大神聽that it was 鈥渘ot important that these steps are small,鈥� but 鈥渢hat those steps should be balanced.鈥澛�

But聽Iran does not consider聽the latest P5+1 proposal to聽adequately reciprocate for the demands it makes on Tehran,聽nor 鈥� in Iran鈥檚 view 鈥� provide a guarantee that if Tehran took every step required, the P5+1 would respond in kind.聽

The聽negotiators discussed allotting聽six months聽for the聽confidence-building steps of suspending 20 percent enrichment聽and聽modifying Fordow in a way that would prevent a quick resumption of work there.聽

If Iran carried out such 鈥渧oluntary measures鈥� for six months, the offer put on the table by the P5+1聽would move聽into a 鈥渟econd phase鈥� in which Iran would be asked to take 鈥渕ore significant steps,鈥� said the Iranian source close to the talks. 鈥淥ur question was, 鈥榃hat do you mean by these further, significant steps?鈥� because these are vague, unclear statements.鈥�

If Iran did suspend 20 percent enrichment for six months, and聽then that temporary suspension was renewed, 鈥渁re we going to repeat what we have done again and again? There is no guarantee here, about when and how your [P5+1] confidence could be built. You are only relieving聽some聽of the sanctions, not聽lifting聽the sanctions,鈥� added the source.

Those questions were not answered in Istanbul: 鈥淓ither they did not know what the further significant steps were, or they didn鈥檛 want to say anything about it,鈥� said the Iranian source. 鈥淏oth sides have a problem of attitudes. They don鈥檛 have the attitude of changing, or solving anything.鈥�

In his Nowruz message, Obama told Iranians, 鈥淓very day that you are cut off from us is a day we鈥檙e not working together, building together, innovating together.鈥� He quoted the ancient Persian poet Hafez about planting the 鈥渢ree of friendship.鈥澛�

But Iran鈥檚 state-run Press TV said Obama 鈥渓aid the blame (on) Iranian leaders鈥� for sanctions, and had at times in the message adopted a 鈥渢hreatening tone.鈥�