Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

The IAEA, to which Deputy Higgins referred, is not satisfied that Iran has answered all remaining questions about its activities and it reported that several significant questions remain. These include questions relating to Iran's known uranium enrichment activities, other actual or possible undeclared activities and to specific evidence of activities relating to weaponisation. The agency also confirmed that Iran continued to ignore the demand of Security Council resolution 1803 and three earlier resolutions to suspend its enrichment activity to allow negotiations take place. My sense of the briefing we received from Mr. Solana is that there is a genuine effort to effect a diplomatic resolution of this issue. The package offered to Iran, which included technical assistance and co-operation to build a modern civil nuclear power programme which would be superior to that planned by the Iranian authorities, along with the other set of proposals signed by all six groups is indicative of a genuine attempt to take the diplomatic approach, notwithstanding some of the public comments to which the Deputy has referred in the context of the US presidential election. The ball is very much in the Iranian court and it is for it to respond meaningfully to the package presented. Next week I will meet the Iranian deputy foreign minister Mr. Mehdi Safari who will visit Ireland. We will discuss the issue and emphasise the need for a positive engagement on the issue. This has been a very lengthy diplomatic engagement and people are learning as they go and are anxious to advance it. I do not get a sense from the EU side of the negotiations of anything but a genuine attempt to broker an acceptable deal that would dovetail with, or be in accordance with, our long-held desire for a nuclear-free Middle East and the non-proliferation treaty objectives.

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