France confirms Iran said it may suspend enrichment

PARIS, Sep 15 (Reuters) Iran has told the European Union it is prepared to discuss suspending its uranium enrichment programme to enable talks aimed at resolving its nuclear dispute with the West to go ahead, France confirmed today.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana met Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani in Vienna last weekend.

''Iran ... has accepted to talk about the question of suspension. That for us is a positive development,'' spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei told a regular news briefing.

''Like you, I see that there are a number of rumblings which are interesting, notably the fact that Iran has apparently accepted to discuss the question of suspension,'' Mattei added.

Neither side had previously confirmed the Iranian offer although an EU diplomat told Reuters after the meeting that Larijani offered to consider a roughly TWO-month suspension.

Iran has so far ignored an August 31 UN Security Council deadline to suspend its enrichment programme, which Tehran says will only be used for civilian purposes, not to make atomic weapons as many Western countries suspect.

Suspension of enrichment-related activities is a precondition set by France, Britain, Germany, Russia, the United States and China for talks on a package of economic and other incentives in exchange for Iran scrapping efforts to produce nuclear fuel.

Larijani offered to consider a suspension for the duration of the talks on the offer, which should be around two months, said the EU diplomat.

Larijani added, however, that the suspension would start after talks began, contrary to what the six big powers have demanded, the diplomat said.

European diplomats said Russia and China would accept suspension after talks start and that France and Germany would probably not oppose it.

Some Western diplomats fear Iran is simply stalling to try to stave off UN Security Council sanctions.

On Tuesday US State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey dismissed reports of ''some alleged Iranian offer''.

''There's been no change in the Iranian position, meaning they have not agreed to suspend uranium enrichment activities for any length of time that I'm aware of,'' he said.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday seemed to suggest Washington might join talks with Iran if it temporarily suspends the nuclear program, and did not flatly reject talk of a shorter-term enrichment freeze by Tehran.

Larijani and Solana were due to meet yesterday but their meeting was postponed, Solana's spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said on Wednesday.

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