Danish foreign minister says time for Iran to present compromise

Western diplomats have opened the door for Iran to present a compromise on their nuclear programme, Ritzau news bureau reported on Friday quoting Denmark's foreign minister.

"We need to know for sure whether Iran is developing nuclear weapons," said Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller.

Iran has stated that it is developing its nuclear programme for peaceful, civilian purposes.

According to western diplomats, EU negotiators from the UK, France, and Germany are said to be in favour of using the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Energy Agency (IEA), as a forum for reaching a decision about what to do about Iran's nuclear programme as a means to buy time.

The IEA meets next in November, and according to Moeller, the move would mean delaying bringing up the case before the Security Council, which would give more time to find a compromise.

The next move, according to Moeller, is Iran's.

"Iran needs to present its proposal for a compromise, but no one has seen yet. Otherwise, the Security Council needs to say that their time is up and we will take action," Moeller said.

Moeller did not specify what actions the Security Council might take. But he did say that there were many other options than military action. Initially, it is most likely that economic sanctions will be implemented, according to Moeller.

Source: Xinhua