US' Rice says Iran must 'change its tactics' on nuclear issue

US' Rice says Iran must 'change its tactics' on nuclear issue

	Published : Thu, 31 May 2007 11:13 By : Agencies Print this Story

VIENNA (Thomson Financial) - Iran must change its nuclear tactics and agree to freeze uranium enrichment, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today.

'I think it's time for Iran to change its tactics' of defying UN resolutions to stop enriching uranium, Rice told reporters in Vienna.

She was speaking as Iran's top negotiator Ali Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana were set to meet in Madrid in an attempt to lay the groundwork for international talks on Iran's nuclear ambitions.

'The international community is united on what Iran should do and that is to suspend, to demonstrate that it is in fact not seeking a nuclear weapon under cover of civil nuclear power,' Rice said at a press conference at a women's meeting in Vienna on the Middle East.

Rice repeated the US position that if Iran stopped enriching uranium, which makes reactor fuel but also atom bomb material, the United States would be ready to join multiparty talks on trade, security and technology benefits for the Islamic Republic.

'If Iran is prepared to take that course, then we are prepared to change 27 years of American policy and sit with Iran to talk about whatever Iran would like to talk about,' Rice said.

Iran is defying two rounds of UN sanctions imposed to get it to halt uranium enrichment. Iran claims it has a peaceful nuclear program and has the right to make nuclear fuel under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

But Rice said talks could not start 'when Iran continues to pursue, to try to perfect technologies that are going to lead to a nuclear weapon.

'So as I said to you before, the question isn't why won't we talk to Tehran, the question is why does Tehran not want to talk to us,' Rice said.

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