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Countries reject Iran's proposal

By TIMES WIRES
Published October 4, 2006

PARIS - Iran has proposed that France organize and monitor the production of enriched uranium inside Iran, complicating negotiations over the fate of its nuclear program.

The United States, France and Britain rejected the proposal on Tuesday, saying it was a stalling tactic and fell far short of the U.N. Security Council's demand that Iran freeze all uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities.

The proposal, made by Mohammad Saeedi, the deputy director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, was presented as a sign of flexibility in negotiations between Iran and six world powers represented by the European Union.

Elsewhere ...

Lebanon: The U.N. peacekeeping force patrolling south Lebanon announced Tuesday that it will "forcefully" act against any hostile activity or threat. It had previously said it would act cautiously if faced with armed Hezbollah guerrillas or hidden weapons.

Zambia: President Levy Mwanawasa, 58, was sworn in for a second term Tuesday after a bitter electoral contest that sparked rioting and accusations of voter fraud.

Austria: The government resigned Tuesday, two days after the center-right coalition lost parliamentary elections. It will remain in office until a new government is formed, probably sometime after final results are announced Monday.

Brazil: A court on Tuesday ordered police to seize the passports of two American pilots whose executive jet clipped a commercial plane in midair last week, causing it to crash and kill 155 people, a spokeswoman said.

Congo: An unmanned reconnaissance plane used by European forces helping provide security in Congo crashed in the capital Tuesday, killing one person on the ground and injuring two others, a European Union force spokesman said.

[Last modified October 4, 2006, 01:09:52]