kidd452 2008-7-19 05:30 PM
U.S. sticking with tough stance on Iran negotiations
From Charley Keyes
CNN State Department Producer
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On the eve of one of her top diplomats' meeting with an Iranian official, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States is sticking to its policy that Iran must suspend its nuclear program before negotiations can proceed.
Condoleezza Rice meets with Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu, left, and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.
She said the meeting that Undersecretary William Burns will join Saturday in Geneva, Switzerland, with European officials and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, is "in fact a strong signal to the entire world that we have been very serious about this diplomacy and we will remain very serious about this diplomacy."
But, Rice said, "it should be very clear to everyone the United States has a condition for the beginning of negotiations with Iran and that condition remains the verifiable suspension of Iran's enrichment and reprocessing activities.
"Iran is a difficult and dangerous state, and it is a state that is pursuing policies that are dangerous to our friends and dangerous to international peace and stability, particularly its support for terrorism and its pursuit of this nuclear technology that could lead to a nuclear weapon," she said. "But we have been very clear that any country can change course. The United States doesn't have any permanent enemies." Watch Rice discuss Iran with CNN's Wolf Blitzer »
Iran says its nuclear program is strictly to produce energy and defends its right to proceed with enrichment.
Rice expected to meet with North Korea counterpart
Unlike Iran, the U.S. has engaged in diplomatic negotiations with North Korea over its nuclear program, and Rice may embark on a new relationship next week if she meets with her North Korean counterpart in Singapore.
North Korea has agreed to dismantle its nuclear program and recently destroyed the cooling tower at its nuclear facility at Yongbyon.