ARABS-US RELATIONS - June 2 - Washington Tells Iran It Expects Answer 'In Weeks'.

The US warns Iran had weeks, not months, to provide a definite response to the incentives package offered by world powers in exchange for a halt in Iran's controversial nuclear activities. As Iran maintained a defiant stance, insisting it was determined to move ahead with uranium enrichment, the White House said it wanted to give Tehran the opportunity to review carefully the proposals agreed in Vienna. But US State Sec Condoleezza Rice, said an answer was expected "in a matter of weeks". Foreign ministers from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, agreed on a package of "far-reaching proposals" to encourage Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and reprocessing. They also reached an understanding that a tougher policy would be adopted at the Security Council if current diplomacy failed, without, however, agreeing on specific sanctions. Russian Pres Vladimir Putin said that it was too early to speak about sanctions against Iran and stressed the need to have "a deep conversation" with the Iranian leadership. The EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, is preparing to go to Tehran over the next few days to deliver the proposals. "He's going to explain to the Iranians what are the elements of the position in a broad and political manner and to show that the offer is extremely serious", said an EU official. The international offer - backed by the US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany - is said to include guarantees of supplies to Iran of fuel for nuclear reactors, as well as trade and economic benefits. It was given more political muscle by this week's US decision to join multilateral negotiations with Tehran if it agreed to stop uranium enrichment and reprocessing. Initial Iranian reactions to the shift in US policy shift and to the package of proposals were sceptical. In Tehran, Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organisation, restated the official position: the government was "determined to go ahead with its nuclear programme. But European diplomats said they would wait for a response from the top leadership and were hoping for an answer before a G8 foreign ministers' meeting at the end of this month. If Iran indicates a willingness to suspend, even temporarily, its nuclear activities, Russia, China and the US would join European governments in negotiating with Tehran over a long-term accord.