Posted on 08/22/2006 12:39:49 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said Tuesday it was ready for "serious negotiations" on its nuclear program, but a semi-official news agency said the government was unwilling to abandon nuclear enrichment — the key U.S. demand.
Top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani delivered a written response to ambassadors of Britain, China, Russia, France, Germany and Switzerland to a package of incentives aimed at persuading Iran to roll back on its nuclear program.
Larijani refused to disclose whether the response included an offer to suspend uranium enrichment, and no details of Iran's response were released. The state-run television quoted Larijani as telling the diplomats Iran "is prepared as of Aug. 23 to enter serious negotiations" with the countries that proposed the incentives package.
But the semi-official Fars news agency reported that Iran rejected calls to suspend "nuclear activities" — or uranium enrichment — and "instead has offered a new formula to resolve the issues through dialogue."
Iran delivered its response to the incentives offer nine days before a U.N. Security Council deadline for Iran to halt enrichment or face possible economic and political sanctions.
If I close my eyes, it's 1994 all over again. Damn, you would think we had learned something...anything from our experience with N. Korea.
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