The incentives designed to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear programme contain ‘‘positive steps’’ and ‘‘ambiguities”, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator said today.Speaking on state television after receiving the proposals from EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, Ali Larijani said they had ‘‘constructive’’ talks and Iran would respond after studying the incentives.The proposals, which the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany agreed to last Friday, represent a major effort to persuade Iran to step back from uranium enrichment—a process that can be used for making nuclear bombs as well as fuel for reactors that generate electricity.‘‘The proposals contain positive steps and also some ambiguities, which must be removed,’’ Larijani said. Larijani did not identify the ‘‘ambiguities”, but he said more talks would be required. ‘‘We hope we will have negotiations and deliberations again after we have carefully studied the proposals to reach a balanced and logical result,’’ Larijani said.Solana, who arrived in Tehran on Monday night, met Larijani for two hours at the Supreme National Security Council building in central Tehran. Journalists were barred from the building.State-run television, In Persian, quoted Solana after the meeting as saying that the talks were ‘‘constructive’’ and that he looked forward to a ‘‘bright future”.Solana said at Tehran airport the West wanted ‘‘a new relationship’’ with Iran and that the package would ‘‘allow us to engage in negotiations based on trust, respect and confidence”.Details of the proposals have not been made public, but an early draft indicated that if Iran agrees to abandon uranium enrichment, the world would offer it help in building nuclear reactors, a guaranteed supply of nuclear fuel, and European Airbus aircraft.The United States has reportedly sweetened the offer by saying it would lift some bilateral sanctions on Iran, such as a ban on Boeing passenger aircraft and related parts, if Iran agrees to an enrichment freeze.The offer contains the implicit threat of UN Security Council sanctions if Iran continues to insist on enriching uranium.Iran has rejected any halt to enrichment, saying it has the right to carry out the process for peaceful purposes under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.The world is suspicious of its nuclear plans because it concealed significant aspects of its programme for many years. The United States and France accuse Iran of seeking to build nuclear bombs. Iran says it aims strictly to generate electricity.ALI AKBAR DAREINI
