By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a shift in policy, the UnitedStates will send an envoy to talks this weekend between Iranand major powers over Tehran's nuclear program, a senior U.S.official said on Tuesday.
U.S. Under Secretary of State William Burns will joinEuropean Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and envoysfrom China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany in a meetingwith Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in Geneva onSaturday, the official said.
They will discuss Iran's response to an offer made by worldpowers last month to give up sensitive nuclear work that theWest believes is aimed at building an atomic bomb and Tehransays is for peaceful power-generation purposes.
The United States had said previously it would not beinvolved in any pre-negotiations with Tehran unless it gave upuranium enrichment.
The U.S. official made clear the ground rules were thatBurns would not act as a negotiator and not meet separatelywith Jalili but would put forward the White House position thatIran must give up enrichment for any real talks to start.
"Bill Burns will reiterate our terms for negotiation remainthe same," the official, who asked not to be named, toldReuters.
"This will be a one-time participation designed to showunity (among major powers) and the message will be very clear."
The U.S. presence at the meeting did not indicate arestoration of full-blown diplomatic ties, the official said.
Tehran and Washington cut diplomatic ties shortly after theIranian revolution of 1979. But the United States has heldseveral rounds of talks over the past year with Iran over whatit sees as Tehran's meddling in Iraq.
RAISED TENSIONS
In June, Solana presented Tehran with a package of economicand other incentives proposed by world powers to coax Iran tohalt sensitive nuclear work.
Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer, denies itwants to build nuclear weapons and says its nuclear program isdesigned to make electricity to increase its output of oil andnatural gas.
Iran has repeatedly refused to suspend uranium enrichment,as demanded by the six powers before formal negotiations canbegin on the offer.
Tension increased last week after Iran test-fired missilesin the Gulf and the United States reminded Tehran that it wasready to defend its allies. Fears of conflict helped to pushoil prices to new record highs.
U.S. officials said Washington also decided to join thetalks as it wanted to take advantage of what appeared to be"debate" within Iran's establishment over the nuclear offer andto show the United States wanted to resolve the impasse.
In addition, Washington believed that three rounds of U.N.sanctions against Iran, as well as bilateral sanctions by theUnited State and EU nations, were starting to bite and that nowwas the time to take advantage of that.
There has been opposition within the Bush administrationover whether to deal directly with Iran. President George W.Bush has made clear all options remain on the table, includingmilitary action.
But the U.S. official said any military action was a "lastresort," adding the goal was to exhaust all diplomatic measuresand the meeting with Jalili was part of that approach.
While officials insist the talks are not part of a newdiplomatic relationship with Tehran, there have been overturestoward Iran in recent weeks.
The United States is looking at opening up a U.S. interestssection in Tehran, which would allow for diplomatic contact,while falling short of diplomatic ties. Currently, Switzerlandacts as a go-between between the United States and Iran.
(Editing by John O'Callaghan and Jackie Frank)
