The talks between the European Union(EU) and Iran over Iran's nuclear program seem headed for failure,a leading think tank based in London said in its report published on Tuesday.
A new round of talks between Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani and foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany, acting on behalf of the EU, will be held on Wednesday in Geneva.
"Prospects that the current negotiations between the EU-3 and Iran will produce a lasting resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue are not encouraging," John Chipman, director of the International Institute of Strategic Studies, said in launching institute's annual report of Strategic Survey 2004/5.
"The EU-3-Iran talks seem headed for inevitable failure, whether before or after the Iranian elections in June," Chipman said.
The EU has been trying to persuade Iran to permanently halt itsenrichment program, but Tehran insists that it cannot make compromise on its legitimate rights.
According to the Strategic Survey 2004/5, the talks are part ofan Iranian plan aimed at buying time while Iran secretly continuesto pursue their nuclear program.
"...Tehran may be willing to tolerate the talks (and the suspension) for the time being, until it feels strong enough to resume its enrichment program, despite the threat of Security Council action," Chipman said.
"Even if it abandons the suspension, however, Iran is still several years away from achieving an enrichment capability sufficient to execute a political decision to acquire nuclear weapons." said Chipman.
The director said that the best hope is that diplomatic effortswould continue, even if the current talks between the EU and Iran collapsed.
The nuclear negotiations between Iran and the EU has been paralyzed since Tehran in late April threatened to resume its uranium enrichment activities, which it suspended in last Novemberin exchange for the economic and technological incentives promisedby the EU.
