Bill Gertz of The Washington Times reported today that Iran is close to a deal that would include a temporary suspension of uranium enrichment and clear the way for nuclear talks but Tehran wants to keep the agreement secret.
The deal could be completed either Tuesday or Wednesday when EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani are set to meet in Europe, the report said, citing Bush administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
However, a spokeswoman for Solana said he had no plans to meet Larijani on Tuesday. She declined comment on the Washington Times report but said senior EU official Robert Cooper and Iranian official Javad Vaedi had held talks in Paris on Monday.
Foreign ministers of the major powers agreed last week in New York to give Solana a few more weeks to try to clinch a deal on launching formal negotiations, setting an unannounced deadline of early October, diplomats said. Under the proposed agreement, Iran would halt uranium enrichment for 90 days so additional talks could be held with several European nations.
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