Iran ready to solve nuke disputes 'quickly'

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran is ready to resolve all of its nuclear disputes "quickly and easily" in a second round of talks with world powers planned for next month in Baghdad, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said yesterday.

Salehi was quoted by the semiofficial ISNA news agency as saying Iran might be more flexible if it could be guaranteed an external supply of enriched uranium, an apparent endorsement of a U.S. compromise proposal.

Iran's homegrown enrichment program is one of its main points of contention with the West.

The minister also urged Western countries to move toward lifting sanctions on the Islamic Republic, calling this a "trust-building" measure that could speed up negotiations.

His statements appear to signal flexibility after talks Saturday in Istanbul with world powers over Iran's controversial nuclear activities. Both sides hailed the talks as positive and a new round was scheduled in the capital of Iran's ally, Iraq.

"We are ready to solve all issues very quickly and easily, even in the Baghdad talks, if there is goodwill," Salehi said.

"It is possible to discuss in the talks percentages of uranium enrichment," Salehi said. "If they guarantee supplying us with fuel of various enriched levels, the case will be different."

Iran currently enriches uranium to 20 percent levels, which is of concern to the West because the fuel can then be more quickly upgraded to 90 percent weapons-grade levels. Iran says the enriched uranium, along with its entire nuclear program, is for peaceful purposes such as research and cancer treatment.

Iran also produces lower-enriched fuel for its lone power reactor.

Before the talks in Istanbul with the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany, Tehran offered to scale back uranium enrichment, but not abandon the ability to make nuclear fuel.

At the same time, however, it ignored another Western concern -- Iran's existing stockpile.

The West wants Iran's current stores of 20 percent-enriched uranium to be transferred out of the country.