Iran Yet to Give Final Answer on Atomic Plan, UN Says (Update1)

Nov. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Iran has yet to provide a final written response to a United Nations-brokered proposal to enrich its uranium overseas, the head of the UN atomic agency said.

Mohamed ElBaradei, speaking in Berlin two days after Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki rejected the offer, urged Iran’s government to seize what he said would be a short- lived opportunity and overcome an atmosphere of distrust in its own national interest. He said that he hoped to see agreement reached before he retires at the end of the month.

“We have not received any written response from Iran,” ElBaradei, director-general of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters. “I hope they will not miss this unique -- I call it fleeting -- opportunity, because it’s not going to continue for a long time.”

Under the UN proposal, made to allay international fears that Iran is secretly developing a nuclear weapon, Iran would ship most of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium overseas, in return for higher-grade fuel for use in a Tehran research reactor. Iran says it wants nuclear technology only for peaceful purposes, including the generation of electricity.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday that the U.S. doesn’t consider Mottaki’s rejection as Iran’s “final word.” Representatives of the five veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council -- the U.S., China, Russia, France and the U.K. -- plus Germany met in Brussels today to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. ElBaradei said that the powers represented in the Belgian capital were meeting “in an environment of desperation.”

‘Engage Seriously’

The powers voiced “disappointment” at Iran’s response to the proposal.

“We urge Iran to reconsider the opportunity offered by this agreement to meet the humanitarian needs of its people and to engage seriously with us in dialogue,” the powers said in a statement after their meeting in Brussels.

The IAEA said in a report on Nov. 16 that it has lost confidence in Iran’s truthfulness and can’t be sure the country isn’t hiding more nuclear facilities. Iran revealed in September the existence of a previously undeclared enrichment facility at Fordo, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Tehran, near the city of Qom.

To contact the reporters on this story: Alan Crawford in Berlin at acrawford6@bloomberg.net;

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Eddie Buckle in Berlin at ebuckle@bloomberg.net.