By Edmund Blair
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Six world powers were studying Iran's offer of more talks to resolve a nuclear dispute on Wednesday to determine if Tehran's response went far enough to avert the threat of U.N. sanctions.
Iran said its reply to a package of incentives contained ideas that would allow serious talks about its standoff to start straight away. Iran has previously called for more talks but the West has seen that as a tactic to stall and not act.
There was no sign Tehran had agreed to a key U.N. Security Council demand that it freeze uranium enrichment by August 31 or face the prospect of sanctions. Iran has called the deadline meaningless.
The five permanent U.N. Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany, which offered Iran economic and other incentives to stop enrichment, were tight-lipped about the reply's contents.
"It is a very long, complex document and we are studying it," French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy told France 2 television, adding that the six powers would decide in a few days what to do in the Security Council.
One EU diplomat said Tehran's reply ran to 21 pages.
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who gave the offer to Iran in June, said it was "extensive and therefore requires a detailed and careful analysis".
The White House said on Tuesday President Bush had yet to examine the reply. But the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton, said Washington was ready to move quickly on a resolution seeking sanctions if Tehran rejected the offer.
"In the reply, although (the West) has taken destructive measures, Iran has tried to create new opportunities for resolving the issue," senior Iranian nuclear official Ali Hosseinitash told Iran's state-owned IRNA news agency.
Analysts say Iran's answer was probably designed to divide Security Council members Russia and China, both key trade partners of Tehran, from the United States, France and Britain which have backed tougher sanctions.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement urged Iran to consider international concerns and take "constructive steps", but added: "We also hope that other parties remain patient and calm."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying: "Russia will continue with the idea of seeking a political, negotiated settlement concerning Iran's nuclear program."
ANSWERS NEEDED
The world's fourth-largest oil exporter, Iran says it will not abandon uranium enrichment for peaceful means, which it says is its right under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Western diplomats say Iran only has that right once it has proved it is not seeking atomic bombs. The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), says questions need to be answered before it can give Iran a clean bill of health.
One EU diplomat said Iran had ruled out halting enrichment before talks "but indicated that it might be open to accept suspension in the course of negotiations".
Other diplomats declined to confirm Iran had shown flexibility on enrichment.
The Washington Post quoted unidentified officials from countries involved saying Iran was willing to consider halting its atomic program but not as a precondition for talks.
The package offered Iran state-of-the-art nuclear technology, the easing of some trade restrictions and other incentives such as support for a regional security dialogue.
After receiving the offer, Iran had said it had ambiguities that needed clarification. It also said its reply would be "multi-dimensional", suggesting no simple 'yes' or 'no' answer.
"They are betting that they can splinter the coalition," said U.S.-based non-proliferation expert Jon Wolfsthal of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"The question is can the United States convince these countries (China and Russia) to stay on board?," he asked.
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