A library photo of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran

TEHRAN, November 15 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Iran has agreed in a deal with Britain, France and Germany to suspend uranium enrichment activities pending a longer-term accord comprised of EU incentives and "objective guarantees" it will not make nuclear weapons, according to a text of the agreement released Monday, November 15.

“To build further confidence, Iran has decided, on a voluntary basis, to continue and extend its suspension to include all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities,” said the deal, which was agreed to late Sunday, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

It said the suspension covers "the manufacture and import of gas centrifuges and their components; the assembly, installation, testing or operation of gas centrifuges; work to undertake any plutonium separation... and all tests or production at any uranium conversion installation".

“The suspension will be sustained while negotiations proceed on a mutually acceptable agreement on long-term arrangements.”

The text said those talks, carried out by the three European governments (E3) on behalf of the European Union would begin in the first half of December.

Peaceful Purposes

The agreement will also provide objective guarantees that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes.

“It will equally provide firm guarantees on nuclear, technological and economic cooperation and firm commitments on security issues,” it said.

And while the text “recognises Iran's rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty... without discrimination”, it states that “Iran reaffirms... it does not and will not seek to acquire nuclear weapons”.

While Iran insists it only wants to make fuel for a nuclear reactor to generate electricity, there are fears that once the fuel cycle has been mastered the Islamic republic could choose to enrich its uranium to weapons-grade levels.

Iran maintains it has the right to enrich uranium under the NPT, but has said it is open to new mechanisms that provide the international community with guarantees the process will not be diverted to military purposes.

The E3/EU and Iran further confirmed in the agreement their determination to combat terrorism, including the activities of Al-Qaeda and other groups such as the MeK (the People's Mujahedeen) Irrespective of progress on the nuclear issue.

"They also confirm their continued support for the political process in Iraq aimed at establishing a constitutionally elected Government."

WTO Accession

The agreement further says that Europe’s Big Three will support the Iranian bid to join the World Trade Organization (WTO).

“Once suspension has been verified, the negotiations with the EU on a trade and cooperation agreement will resume. The E3/EU will actively support the opening of Iranian accession negotiations at the WTO.”

It also said the "E3/EU will support the IAEA Director General inviting Iran to join the Expert Group on Multilateral Approaches to the Nuclear Fuel Cycle."

Britain, France and Germany have been spearheading diplomatic efforts to get Iran to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and first struck an accord in October 2003.

But that accord has been under pressure, after Iran agreed to suspend enrichment but not related activities.

In September the IAEA's board called for a wider suspension, and a failure to comply could have seen Iran referred to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions -- something the United States has been pushing for.