Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said yesterday that his
country would give a response with complete transparency to the six-nation
package of incentives, which was in a bid to resolve Iran's nuclear dispute.
Mottaki made the remarks to reporters after his meeting with
visiting Iraqi politician Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, who heads Iraq's largest Shiite
party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), reported
the official IRNA news agency.
Mottaki told the reporters "the Islamic Republic's response
to the package of incentives offered by Europe will be quite transparent, just
like our uranium enrichment program.ˇ±Meanwhile, Mottaki termed the Europe's
package as "a step forward", saying "the Iranian officials reached a consensus
on the proposals and we think it's a move and a step forward."
"The package takes both sides' views into
consideration,"Mottaki was quoted as saying, stressing that Iran would carefully
review the incentives and may bring forward its own proposals.ˇ±The six world
powers have announced their views, we would carefully study them and give our
proposals to the Europeans, and they should also review them," said Mottaki,
adding "talks between the two sides will continue."
He said "obviously, the two sides can cooperate with each
other, but Iranian officials would not hurry on reviewing the Europe's package
and would give the other side our views just after meticulous study of it."
On June 6, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana
presented to Iran a new package over Iran's nuclear issue, which had been agreed
by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus
Germany in a meeting in Vienna. The proposal includes both incentives aimed at
persuading Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and possible sanctions if Iran
chooses not to comply.
Iran's top officials have expressed cautious optimism over
the new package after their meetings with Solana, saying "there were positive
steps but also ambiguities in the package, Iran could only accept parts of the
proposals and may bring forward its own opinions, which could be a
counter-proposal."
The United States has accused Iran of secretly developing
nuclear weapons under a civilian front, a charge categorically denied by Tehran.
