Rice acknowledges US policy shift on Iran

Rice acknowledges US policy shift on Iran

6 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Friday confirmed that the United States had shifted its position on diplomacy with Iran, with the decision to send a senior envoy to Geneva to participate in nuclear talks with Iran's top negotiator.

But she insisted that Tehran must suspend its enrichment and reprocessing of nuclear materials for substantive talks with Washington.

"The United States doesn't have any permanent enemies," Rice said in response to a reporter's question on the unexpected move to send a diplomat to meet directly with Iran's negotiator Saeed Jalili in Geneva on Saturday.

"And we hope this signal we're sending, that we fully support the track that Iran could take for a better relationship with the international community, is one the United States stands fully behind."

"We have been very clear that any country can change course," Rice added.

"This decision to send Undersecretary (William) Burns is an affirmation of the policy that we have been pursuing with our European allies ... for some time now."

"It is, in fact, a strong signal to the entire world that we have been very serious about this diplomacy and we will remain very serious about this diplomacy."

Rice pointed out that she had endorsed the proposal from the so-called P5 plus one -- the United States, France, Britain, China, Russia and Germany -- on incentives to advance talks with Iran on halting its nuclear program.

She called sending Burns to Geneva to meet with Jalili and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana the "book end" to that move.

"But it should be very clear to everyone the United States has a condition for the beginning of negotiations with Iran, and that condition remains the verifiable suspension of Iran's enrichment and reprocessing activities," Rice said.

Asked in an interview with CNN, of which excerpts were aired Friday, whether sending Burns to Geneva was a major policy change, Rice answered:

"I acknowledge that what we've done is to make a step that we think demonstrates to everyone our seriousness about this process. But what has not changed is that the United States is determined to have negotiations only when Iran has suspended its enrichment and reprocessing."

Asked if Saturday's meeting is a one-shot deal, Rice replied, "This is."

"We have one chance to receive the Iranian response. I transmitted the proposal. (Burns) will receive the response," she told CNN.

"He will listen, and if Iran is ready to suspend, then the United States will be there."