French cite progress in talks with Iran on nuclear program

PARIS -- European diplomats have made "considerable progress" toward a provisional accord concerning Iran's nuclear program, France's Foreign Ministry said yesterday, despite earlier reports of a stalemate.

The statement came after two days of talks in Paris aimed at persuading Tehran to stop developing technologies that could be used to make nuclear weapons.

"At the end of difficult discussions, the two sides have achieved considerable progress toward a provisional accord on a common approach to these questions," the ministry said.

A diplomatic official said on condition of anonymity that talks stretched over 20 hours and set the stage for better relations between Europe and Tehran.

Earlier yesterday, European and Iranian diplomats said the talks had failed to overcome an impasse, with a top Iranian envoy saying key issues were not resolved. A senior European diplomat said: "There are many open questions."

Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Hasan Rowhani, said that Iran and the Europeans were showing flexibility, but that agreement has not been reached during the discussions at the French Foreign Ministry.

"Some very important issues remain to be resolved. Perhaps, there is a distance until we reach a compromise," Rowhani told state-run Iranian television.

Rowhani distanced himself from an earlier Iranian TV report that claimed the Europeans had rejected an Iranian offer to suspend nuclear activities for six months.

"We didn't announce a specific date," he said. "We are not prepared to offer any time."

During October talks, Britain, Germany, and France offered Iran trade incentives and peaceful nuclear technology -- including a light-water research reactor -- in return for assurances that the country would indefinitely suspend uranium enrichment, a technology that can produce nuclear fuel or atomic weapons.