Q - About the meeting of representatives of the three EU Foreign ministers with the Iranian delegation in Paris. The meeting is said to be private, and the press won't have access. Could you say something about it? Will there be a de-briefing afterwards?
First, I don't think private meeting is exactly the right definition. It's a meeting of high-level officials, and our usual practice when such officials meet is not to give the press access.
The meeting is actually in progress now. I don't know when it will end. I can't anticipate the outcome. I can give you the general context if you like as I've done several times over the past few weeks
... Our Iranian interlocutors are to provide elements of their response to the proposals made by the three Europeans, in agreement with their EU partners, while the AIEA director-general Dr. ElBaradei is to present his report on or about November 12 in preparation for the board of governors' meeting on the 25th.
... I'm not going to go into the details of the negotiations, they're under way now. So I wouldn't want to mislead you. It's important not to conflate all the problems. The issue is proliferation. What is at stake is the possibility-for our objective is to reassure everyone-of establishing confidence in the nature of Iran's nuclear program. That's what is being discussed. That's where we're at, the work is continuing, and our objective is to arrive at a negotiated solution, a diplomatic solution, ahead of the IAEA board of governors meeting on November 25.
Q - How long will it go on?
So far as I know, the meeting was scheduled for today but it's possible there may be other meetings in the future. Since the process started, there've been many meetings.
There is a position on which the three Europeans agree totally, and I'd say, besides the three countries concerned, a concerted position with all our European partners. I've also pointed out moreover that aides to the High Representative for the CFSP, Javier Solana, were involved in the most recent exercises, and I believe in today's meeting.
Q - Are you optimistic about the possibility of coming to an arrangement with Iran about suspending enrichment? Are you sure that at the November 25 meeting we can avoid referring the Iran question to the Security Council?
We wouldn't be diplomats if we weren't optimists. The simple fact that we are continuing negotiations with the Iranians is in the hope that an agreement is materializing.
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Q - Is France satisfied with Mr. ElBaradei's work as director of the AIEA?