US 'firmly behind' diplomatic effort on Iran: Rice
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday the United States is "firmly behind" diplomatic efforts to halt Iran's sensitive nuclear work but did not know if Tehran would respond positively.
"The point we are making is that the United States is firmly behind this diplomacy," Rice said after deciding to send a top diplomat to Geneva to join EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's top negotiator on Saturday.
"Hopefully the Iranians will take that message," Rice told reporters after meeting with Alexander Stubb, Finland's foreign minister.
Asked if she expected the Iranians to respond positively to a new incentives package to halt uranium enrichment work offered last month by the United States and five other international partners, she replied: "I don't know."
In a US shift that will lead to the highest-level meeting between the two foes in three decades, Under Secretary of State William Burns is due to meet Saturday with Iran's top negotiator Saeed Jalili in Solana's presence.
US officials said Wednesday that the "new tactic" amounted to sending a signal to Iran that Washington wanted a negotiated settlement to the deadlock over Iran's refusal to bow to international demands.
Washington has long said it will not negotiate with Iran until it first suspends enrichment and insisted Wednesday that Burns was traveling to Geneva to listen to Iran's response and not negotiate.
However, analysts said the move effectively dropped the US precondition for the talks involving the United States, Russia, China, France, and Britain -- the permanent five UN Security Council members -- and Germany.
The group form the so-called P5-plus-One.
