Iran must halt enrichment during talks: Russia

MOSCOW - World powers have proposed Iran cease uranium enrichment during international talks with Tehran on its nuclear programme, Interfax news agency quoted Russia's foreign minister as saying on Saturday.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking after his return from a London meeting of major powers on Iran, said uranium enrichment would have to be suspended for the talks.
"Our first condition is the freezing, suspension of uranium enrichment," Lavrov was quoted as saying in Moscow by Interfax. "The view of the six (powers) is that Iran must cease enrichment of uranium only for the period in which talks last."
"It is not an ultimatum, it is a proposal," Lavrov said. "It is a very genuine proposal."
Major powers agreed on Friday to make a new offer of incentives to Iran to halt its sensitive nuclear work, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said.
"We very much hope that they will recognise the seriousness and the sincerity with which we have approached this issue and that they will respond in a timely manner to the suggestions that we are making," Miliband said on Friday in a statement, saying the details of the offer would not be made public.
The group is comprised of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- along with Germany.
The United States and other Western nations suspect Iran of using its civil nuclear programme as a cover to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is needed to generate electricity so that it can export more of its oil and gas.
In June 2006, the six countries offered incentives to Iran, including civil nuclear cooperation and wider trade in civil aircraft, energy, high technology and agriculture, if Tehran suspended uranium enrichment and negotiated with the six.
Tehran has so far spurned that incentives offer, saying it wanted to be rewarded for suspending enrichment, and brushed off three U.N. Security Council resolutions that imposed sanctions for its failure to halt the nuclear work.
Russia has been the main country to promote the idea of refreshing the June 2006 offer while the United States has made no secret of its scepticism, with U.S. officials saying they saw little reason to expect Iran to change course.