0732 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. Interestingly, President Ahmadinejad --- so prominent in the October 2009 initiative for a nuclear settlement and still taking the lead last autumn --- appears to be staying far away this time. This morning, his speech focused instead on the platitude that the "resurrection of nations" should over the "culture of individuals" to " change the status quo".
0715 GMT: The weekend was marked by some negotiation through the media over Iran's nuclear programme, ahead of the next scheduled talks in Baghdad on 23 May. US officials put out the line that Washington might accept Iranian enrichment of uranium to 5%, under strict international supervision and inspection. Tehran responded that the measure was a "good start" but remained cautious --- significantly, the Iranian regime did not say if it would insisted on some capability for enrichment to 20%.
However, what was not said this weekend, at least from the US and European side, was just as significant. There was no indication of the timing for an easing of sanctions, if Iran moved towards the "Western" position on enrichment.
This morning, leading politican Gholam Ali Haddad Adel --- a member of the Supreme Leader's inner circle and possibly the next Speaker of Parliament --- restated the regime's line: "The ineffectiveness of these sanctions has been proved to the Western leaders, and the other party could take a confidence-building step to prove its good intentions."
At the same time, Haddad Adel indicated that the negotiations would be played "long", with no resolutions in the near-future: "It should not be expected that all issues will be resolved in Baghdad."
And that raises an immediate question: will the US relent on its next round of sweeping sanctions, scheduled for 28 June, and the European Union on its embargo on Iranian oil, to come into effect three days later?
Posted via email from lissping
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