Larijani goes to Brussels today for nuke talks

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana had been due Wednesday to explore whether Iran is ready to accept an international package to curb its atomic ambitions.

The offer, which is aimed at breaking the stalemate between Iran and the West, is made up of economic and political incentives in exchange for the Islamic republic suspending uranium enrichment.

Only hours ahead of his expected arrival in Brussels for talks about the package, Larijani surprised Solana by postponing the meeting until next week.

However, the European Union's top diplomat, eager to sound out the Iranian about Tehran's intentions, warned Larijani that a week was too long and managed to convince him on the telephone to bring the meeting forward to Thursday.

"I have just spoken to Dr. Larijani on the phone and we agreed that we will meet tomorrow (Thursday) in Brussels and that we will continue our discussions on Tuesday, 11 of July," Solana said in a statement.

Pressure is building on Tehran to give its first clear response to the package, which Solana delivered in the Iranian capital nearly a month ago.

"I had made clear to the Iranians and to Dr Larijani that we want to proceed rapidly to examine together the ideas I put to him early last month," he said.

Nearly a month has already passed since Solana first delivered the offer, drawn up by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.

It was put together after the United States and its allies struggled to convince China and Russia to boost the powers of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after Iran defied the UN's nuclear watchdog.

The Islamic republic has been under Western pressure to say by next week whether the package is acceptable. Iranian officials have suggested that no response is likely before August.

Iran maintains that it is developing nuclear technology to generate electricity, but some in the West fear it is trying to covertly make atomic weapons under the guise of a civilian energy programme.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was eager for a response from Tehran as soon as possible in order to be able to announce the start of negotiations before a meeting of the Group of Eight industrial powers in Saint Petersburg next week.

Iran is unlikely to accept being bullied into meeting any deadline.

Larijani was quoted Tuesday as saying that his government might be ready to respond to the offer in early August, while Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has set August 22 as a date.

US President George W. Bush, who refuses to rule out military action, wants a quicker answer.

Under the offer, the six powers affirm Iran's right to develop nuclear energy, support its building of light water reactors and provide for enrichment to take place in Russia.