US rejects Annan appeal on Iran

BBC

The US has rejected an appeal by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to talk directly to Iran about its disputed nuclear programme.
The US said the issue was not bilateral but between Iran and the world.

Mr Annan had said the US needed to talk directly as Iran would not properly negotiate unless the US was involved.

Meanwhile the EU is considering offering Iran incentives to halt its nuclear programme, according to diplomats trying to draw up a proposal.

The plan will be presented to a meeting of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany in London next week.

It is likely to include a promise of freer trade with Europe.

Iran has so far rejected a UN Security Council call to stop sensitive uranium enrichment, saying its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

The US fears Iran is using the programme to develop nuclear weapons.

On Friday, EU diplomats said UN inspectors had found highly-enriched uranium traces in tests on a research site that Iran dismantled in 2004.