[Bloomberg] Bill Varner - The Obama administration won't impose additional sanctions on Iran if it freezes nuclear development work and joins talks over the future of its program, European diplomats said. Undersecretary of State William Burns informed Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia of the new U.S. approach to the so-called "freeze-for-freeze" proposal at a meeting in London on April 8. Under President Bush, the U.S. said it was prepared to accept a freeze on UN and EU sanctions. President Obama would extend that offer to include U.S. sanctions, which under Bush often targeted Iranian banks. European diplomats said that in return for the new U.S. concession, Iran would have to refrain from further development steps, such as adding centrifuges to enrich uranium. Asked whether the U.S. has dropped the condition of ending uranium enrichment, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday, "We have not dropped or added any conditions."
2009-04-16 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive