West greets Tehran nuke claim with scepticism

---

Manouchehr Mottaki

Western powers have responded with scepticism to a claim by Iran that a deal to swap enriched uranium for nuclear fuel could now be close, reports BBC.
Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told a security conference in Germany that an agreement could be reached in a "not too distant future".
But the US and European Union said they were unconvinced and Iran must make a meaningful offer or face new sanctions.
China, which opposes further sanctions, said talks were at a "crucial stage".
The US and its allies fear Iran is attempting to develop nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful in purpose.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, in Ankara, is quoted by Reuters news agency as saying that Western powers needed to think about whether it was now time for a "different tack".
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told the annual Munich security conference: "Our hand is still reaching out towards them [Iran]. But so far it's reaching out into nothingness.
The US National Security Adviser, General James Jones, warned of tighter sanctions and deeper international isolation for Iran.
And EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton told the conference that Iran must respond to the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, over its nuclear programme.
Meanwhile, Press TV adds: Iran has blamed the rising Taliban-linked extremism in Afghanistan on Western countries' interference in the war-torn country.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who was speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, raised the alarm about the spread of extremism from Afghanistan to India, Central Asia and Arab countries, IRIB reported.