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. Emergency Iran-EU nuclear talks on May 23
TEHRAN (AFP) May 16, 2005
Iran's top national security official Hassan Rowhani will meet the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany on May 23 for emergency talks over Tehran's nuclear programme, Iran's foreign minister said Monday.

Kamal Kharazi said the talks would be last chance to salvage the negotiations, aimed at easing widespread international concern that the clerical regime is working to acquire a nuclear arsenal.

"The meeting will be held on May 23, and involve the European foreign ministers and Hassan Rowhani," Kharazi told reporters. "It will take place in a European capital. We are still in discussions on the venue."

The so-called EU-3 called a crisis meeting with Iran after Tehran announced it would resume uranium coversion work, a move that would have violated their November 2004 accord.

Iran has agreed to postpone its resumption of uranium activities -- which can be direct towards military purposes -- pending the emergency talks with French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

Kharazi said the meeting may be the "last round of negotiations" between Iran and the so-called EU-3, adding that the "decision has been taken" to resume conversion work at a plant near the central city of Isfahan.

Iran has been warned that such a step would spark its referral to the UN Security Council.

And quoted by the Iran News newspaper, top nuclear negotiator and member of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Hossein Moussavian said there was a strong chance the talks could fail.

"I confirm that a meeting at the foreign ministerial level between the EU3 and Iran will be held in a few days time in Brussels, but I want to emphasise that the chances for success are not that high," he said in an interview.

"The Europeans haven't left much room for negotiation. They have gone back on their word and commitments made in the Paris Accord. The EU3 have not accepted Iran's 'objective guarantees'," he added.

"If Iran's file is referred to the Un Security Council, we are ready for all contingencies," said Moussavian.

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