No breakthrough on Iran nuclear talks in Geneva; another round in two weeks

The talks between Iran and the European Union's chief negotiators in Geneva failed to reach an agreement Sunday on Tehran's nuclear program, but the sides agreed to resume talks on suspending uranium enrichment in two weeks. For the first time, a senior United States diplomat also attended the talks, but Tehran remained steadfast on its insistence to continue its drive toward nuclear capability, ruling out freezing its uranium enrichment program.

EU envoy Javier Solana told reporters after the Geneva talks with Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili that the two would speak either by telephone or in person.

"The meeting was constructive, but we still didn't get the answer we were looking for," Solana said.

Jalili said Tehran would remain constructive, but asked that Western powers not turn away from negotiations.

"Iran is calling on the Western powers to resume the dialogue," he said.

U.S. Under Secretary of State William Burns was also present, but did not speak publicly.

The high-level U.S. participation in the one-day meeting in Geneva, together with Iranian comments playing down the likelihood of an attack by the United States and Israel, had raised hopes of progress and helped ease record oil prices.

Washington's participation had raised expectations of a possible compromise on a formula under which Iran would agree to freeze its enrichment activities and in return the five permanent United Nations Security Council members and Germany would hold off on passing new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

But doubt was cast over the value of talks less then an hour after they started, when Keyvan Imani, a member of the Iranian delegation, appeared to indicate that Tehran was not prepared to budge on enrichment.

"Suspension - there is no chance for that," he told reporters.

"Any kind of suspension or freeze [of uranium enrichment] is out of the question," he added.

A Western diplomat in Geneva said the Iranians were focusing on the second or third step of substantial negotiations without addressing what the six powers say is a prerequisite for such talks to happen - a freeze of the Iranian enrichment program.

The presence of Burns at the talks - the first instance of the Americans attending such meetings - had led to hopes of compromise.

But the optimism was tempered by U.S. insistence that real negotiations cannot begin until Iran has frozen sensitive nuclear work, a step Tehran has repeatedly ruled out.

"That remains the U.S. position and it will continue to be the U.S. position," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a news conference in Washington.

Iran has defied three sets of UN sanctions demanding it cease its program, saying it has a right to its peaceful uses under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. But the suspicion is that the Islamic Republic is planning to build nuclear weapons.

Recent Iranian statements suggest Tehran is looking to improve ties with the United States, with officials speaking positively of deliberations by the U.S. administration to open an interests section - an informal diplomatic presence - in Tehran after ties were severed during the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

The U.S. said the Geneva talks would focus only on the nuclear issue, but Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Friday they could also result in agreements to open a U.S. interest-protection bureau and have direct flights between the two nations.

U.S. interests in Iran are now represented by the Swiss Embassy in Tehran and official contacts between the two countries are extremely rare.

Imani said Tehran had not yet received a proposal from the U.S. on opening a representation but would study it positively if it did.

He downplayed the presence of Burns, saying that "he is a member of the delegation of the six countries engaging Iran on the nuclear issue."

A western diplomatic source, who demanded anonymity, had said that Solana tried to coax Jalili during lunch into agreeing to discuss the freeze-for-freeze concept instead of skirting it and focusing on the next step - substantial negotiations between the two sides.

Burns' decision to attend the Geneva talks shows that Washington may accept freeze-for-freeze - something less than full suspension - at least as a first step.

Freeze-for-freeze envisions a six-week commitment from both sides. Preliminary talks meant to lead to formal nuclear negotiations would start, Iran could continue enrichment but only at its present level, and the U.S. and its allies would stop pushing for new UN sanctions.

If this results in the start of formal talks, the Iranians would stop all enrichment temporarily. Those talks, in turn, are meant to secure Tehran's commitment for an indefinite ban on enrichment.

Meanwhile, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi traveled to the U.S. last night to begin an official visit there. He will meet with his counterpart, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, who visited Israel last month.

Iran's nuclear program is expected to be central to the talks between the two sides.

During his visit to Israel Mullen expressed strong opposition to the possibility that Israel might attack Iran's nuclear installations.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak is scheduled to travel to Washington for talks with senior Bush administration and Pentagon officials.

Also yesterday evening, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrived in Israel, marking the start of a two-day visit during which he will address the Knesset and meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Accompanying Brown is a business delegation headed by Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Lord Digby Jones.

Brown is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, as well as President Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.