Iran opens military complex

[j.nudd]

By Parisa Hafezi

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran sought to defuse tensions over its nuclear program on Sunday, confirming it had let U.N. inspectors visit a military complex and calling for a revival of European Union talks on the issue.

The official IRNA news agency said Iran had written to Britain, France and Germany, calling for the resumption of negotiations which broke down in August.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) could, when it meets this month, discuss sending Iran's nuclear case to the U.N. Security Council, where Tehran could face sanctions.

But in a further sign Iran wants to avoid confrontation, it confirmed that it had allowed U.N. nuclear inspectors to visit a military base suspected by Washington of links to a covert nuclear weapons program.

IRNA said the letter by Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was handed to the ambassadors of the three European Union powers, who have led talks with Tehran on behalf of the EU.

In the letter, addressed to the foreign ministers of the EU trio, Larijani "called for constructive and logical negotiations with the three European states," IRNA said.

It was the first such direct approach by Iran to kick-start talks since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who had adopted a tougher foreign policy stance than his reformist predecessor, took office in August.

Andrew Dunn, British Embassy spokesman in Tehran, confirmed that the three EU ambassadors attended a meeting at Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Sunday and were handed a letter for their foreign ministers from Larijani.

"It (the letter) was about the nuclear issue," Dunn said, declining to elaborate further.

Talks broke down in August when Tehran rejected an EU offer of economic and political incentives in return for scrapping sensitive nuclear fuel-making activities.

Full article

Perhaps another potential nuclear disaster can be prevented.