E3/EU PROPOSALS
FOR A
LONG-TERM AGREEMENT: SUMMARY
1. The present negotiation between
the E3/EU and Iran began in December 2004, following conclusion
of the Paris Agreement on 15 November 2004.
2. The Paris Agreement says: "In
the context of this suspension (by Iran of all enrichment related
and reprocessing activities, including specifically all tests
or production at any uranium conversion installation), the E3/EU
and Iran have agreed to begin negotiations, with a view to reaching
a mutually acceptable agreement on long term arrangements. The
agreement will provide objective guarantees that Iran's nuclear
programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes. It will equally
provide firm guarantees on nuclear, technological and economic
cooperation and firm commitments on security issues."
3. In October 2004, prior to the
Paris Agreement, the E3/EU presented ideas to Iran on the possible
shape of such a long-term agreement. Iran produced proposals
in March 2005, but these were based on Iran's early resumption
of fissile material production, without a comprehensible explanation
of the civilian use for the nuclear material that would be produced.
4. On 25 May 2005, E3 Foreign Ministers
and Javier Solana met an Iranian delegation led by Dr Hassan
Rouhani in Geneva. They agreed that the E3/EU would present
comprehensive proposals for long-term arrangements, at the end
of July or at the beginning of August. On 5 August, the E3/EU
accordingly passed to Iran a 'Framework for a Long-term Agreement'.
5. In an accompanying letter, the
E3/EU recognise that Iran will have further ideas it will want
to discuss. The letter says that, as ever, the E3/EU remain
open to discussion of all proposals that could lead to the conclusion
of satisfactory long-term arrangements on the basis of the Paris
Agreement.
6. The Framework is long - 34 pages
in English - and detailed. It sets out possible elements for
a future agreement. These reflect extensive work by the E3/EU,
and take into account many of the points made by Iran's negotiators.
The main points are summarised below.
I. PREAMBLE
The E3/EU propose that the preamble
of a final agreement should set out the principles on which
a long-term relationship between the E3/EU and Iran would be
based. It would stress the importance of developing relations
of trust and co-operation between the E3/EU and Iran for the
preservation of international peace and stability. The E3/EU
and Iran would, inter alia, recall Article IV of the NPT and
the rights to the use nuclear
energy for peaceful purposes contained therein. They would affirm
that a final agreement on long-term arrangements providing objective
guarantees that Iran's nuclear programme is exclusively for
peaceful purposes would
lead immediately to a higher state of relations based on a process
of collaboration in different areas.
II. POLITICAL & SECURITY
CO-OPERATION
General principles. The E3/EU propose that in
any final agreement the E3/EU and Iran would make mutual commitments
in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations, including
to the principle of the resolution
of disputes by peaceful means and in conformity with the principles
of justice and international law; to refrain in their international
relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial
integrity or political independence of any state or in any other
manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations;
and to promote respect for and observance and protection of
human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction
of any kind.
Security Assurances. Within the context of an
overall agreement and Iran's fulfilment of its obligations under
the NPT, the UK and France would be prepared to reaffirm to
Iran the unilateral security assurances given on 6 April 1995
and referred to in UN Security Council Resolution 984 (1995).
Areas of special interest. As part of an overall
agreement, the E3/EU propose that both parties should make commitments
in the following areas:
- Non-proliferation. The
E3/EU and Iran would inter alia reaffirm their commitment to
abide by security and non-proliferation treaties to which they
are party, and the need to strengthen compliance mechanisms;
stress the importance of universal
adherence to disarmament and non-proliferation treaties and
of the full implementation of the IAEA safeguards agreements
and additional protocols; and reaffirm their commitment to the
objective of a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction
and their means of delivery.
- Regional security.
As part of an overall agreement, the E3/EU would welcome an
expanded dialogue with Iran on regional security issues. To
this end, the E3/EU would, as part of an overall agreement,
commit to working with Iran to encourage confidence-building
measures and regional security arrangements. Such discussions
would take place in close consultation with all the States of
the region.
- Terrorism. The E3/EU
and Iran would commit themselves to combating terrorism, preventing
and suppressing the financing and preparations for terrorism.
- Combating drug trafficking.
The E3/EU would actively support international programmes designed
to tackle Iran's drug problem, including by enhancing Afghan/Iranian
border police co-operation, the training of customs
officers, and the development of projects on demand and harm
reduction in Iran.
Implementation mechanism. The E3/EU propose the
creation of a high-level committee on political and security
issues, which would review progress on this part of the agreement
and provide a forum for discussing issues of regional, international
and mutual interest.
III. LONG-TERM SUPPORT FOR IRAN'S
CIVIL NUCLEAR PROGRAMME
Principles. The E3/EU would: recognise Iran's
rights under Article IV of the NPT to develop research, production
and use of nuclear energy without discrimination in conformity
with its obligations under the NPT, including
Iran's right to develop a civil nuclear power generation programme;
declare, within the context of an overall agreement, their willingness
to support Iran to develop a safe, economically viable and proliferation-proof
civil nuclear power generation and research programme that conforms
with its energy needs; and fully support long-term co-operation
in the civil nuclear field between Iran and Russia.
Framework. Within the context of an overall agreement,
co-operation between the E3/EU and Iran in the nuclear field
would be enhanced: Iran would have access to the international
nuclear technologies market where contracts are awarded on the
basis of open competitive tendering. Co-operation would be conditional
on Iran's full implementation of its relevant international
obligations and commitments, including the long-term arrangements
agreed between the E3/EU and Iran, resolution by the IAEA of
all questions raised under Iran's Safeguards Agreement and Additional
Protocol, and continued co-operation with the IAEA. Under UNSCR
1540, and based on respective national, European and international
norms, the E3/EU and Iran are obliged to implement export controls;
the E3 would commit themselves to implementing these controls
in a non-discriminatory way, bearing in mind the new context
that would be created by the confidence building measures and
commitments undertaken by Iran under an overall agreement.
Iranian access to the international nuclear fuel
market and co-operation in nuclear energy. In line with these
principles, and in the context of an overall agreement and growing
mutual confidence, the E3/EU would support the development of
Iran's civil nuclear programme, including by helping to identify
the requirement for a further research reactor in Iran, and
by cooperation in other fields of peaceful use of nuclear energy,
excluding fuel-cycle related activity.
The E3/EU would also support the development of
co-operation in fields such as radio-isotope production, basic
research and the peaceful use of nuclear energy in the fields
of medicine and agriculture, and in establishing
co-operation between regulatory authorities in the E3/EU and
Iran and the IAEA in order to assist with the design and implementation
of international standard nuclear safety and security regimes.
The E3/EU would actively support commencement
of negotiations on an agreement between EURATOM and Iran.
Fuel assurances. The E3/EU recognise that Iran
should have sustained access to nuclear fuel for the Light Water
Reactors forming Iran's civil nuclear industry. Russia has committed
itself formally to supplying nuclear fuel for the life-time
of Russian-built reactors in Iran. In order to provide Iran
with additional assurances that external supplies of fuel could
be relied upon in the long term, the E3/EU would develop with
Iran a framework which would provide such assurance, without
prejudicing any future multilateral arrangements developed under
IAEA auspices. The E3/EU have proposed ways this might be achieved,
including through the creation of an ad hoc mechanism and a
buffer store of fuel.
Confidence building. Effective long-term co-operation
between Iran and the international community in the civil nuclear
field will require the continued building of confidence over
a significant period. As Iran will
have an assured supply of fuel over the coming years, it will
be able to provide the confidence needed by making a binding
commitment not to pursue fuel cycle activities other than the
construction and operation of light water power and research
reactors. This commitment would be reviewed jointly in line
with the review mechanism envisaged for the overall agreement.
As an essential element of this mechanism for
international confidence building, Iran would undertake to:
make a legally binding commitment not to withdraw from the NPT
and to keep all Iranian nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards
under all circumstances; ratify its Additional Protocol, in
accordance with its existing commitment, by the end of 2005;
in the meantime, fully implement the Additional Protocol pending
its ratification and to co-operate with the IAEA to solve all
outstanding issues; and agree arrangements for the supply of
fresh fuel from outside Iran and commit to returning all spent
fuel elements to the original supplier.
In line with IAEA Board Resolutions, the E3/EU
would also expect Iran to stop construction of its Heavy Water
Research Reactor at Arak, which gives rise to proliferation
concerns.
The E3/EU would work with Iran to establish a
group to identify alternative uses for the equipment, installations,
facilities and materials which would not form part of Iran's
long-term civil nuclear industry. The group could consider
alternative areas of employment for the scientists, technicians
and workers currently employed in these facilities.
IV. ECONOMIC & TECHNOLOGICAL
CO-OPERATION
An overall agreement would lead to the development
of a programme of economic and technological co-operation with
Iran, complementing the envisaged EC/Iran Trade & Co-operation
Agreement, which will constitute the main vehicle for the long-term
development of economic relations between the EU and Iran.
In a long-term agreement, the E3/EU
would:
- recognise the importance
of energy co-operation to their long-term relationship with
Iran. They would be prepared to make a policy declaration that
they regard Iran as a long-term source of oil and gas for
the EU; and take
steps, including opening an EU/Iran Energy Management &
Technology Centre, to develop practical cooperation;
- promote trade, investment
and transfer of technology;
- work for an early conclusion
of negotiations on a draft EU/Iran Trade & Co-operation
Agreement and an EU/Iran Political Dialogue Agreement;
- offer continued political
support for Iranian accession to the World Trade Organisation,
and technical support to assist Iran making the necessary technical
adjustments to its economy;
- agree to convene a joint
export control workshop, allowing for exchanges on the implementation
on UN SCR 1540 and national/EC laws, and as a follow up be prepared
to support Iran in establishing an efficient system of export
controls
- commit to developing
long-term scientific and technological co-operation with Iran
in certain areas, including environmental technology, communications
and information technology, education and vocational training;
and
- invigorate co-operation
in areas such as air transport, railway transport, maritime
transport, seismology, infrastructure, agriculture and the food
industry, and tourism
V. REVIEW MECHANISM
The E3/EU and Iran would agree to implement the
agreement in good faith. The agreement would be subject to review,
at Ministerial level, every ten years. Any change to the arrangements
would be subject to explicit agreement
by both the E3/EU and Iran.
The E3/EU would be willing to circulate the final
agreement for information and with a view to possible endorsement
by the international community.
