Iran and the IAEA held the third round of talks about Iran’s disputed nuclear programme during the week on May 121. The IAEA delegation was headed by Herman Nackaerts, director for regional department of Safeguards Operation, while Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's permanent envoy to IAEA, headed the Iranian team2.

In other developments, Gregory Schulte, the US envoy to the IAEA has been called back to Washington for consultations with the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and the National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley about Iran and the IAEA's upcoming
report3.

Tehran meanwhile delivered to the UN chief Ban ki-Moon a package of proposals aimed at solving global challenges, including the nuclear issue. The “incentives package” was handed over after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stated that Tehran was ready to talk to the world powers about global problems but ruled out any negotiations over Tehran's nuclear “rights”. Several countries assume that the recent Iranian proposal could be a “counteroffensive” by Iran to a package of incentives drawn up by world powers to try to persuade Tehran to halt its controversial nuclear work4.

• 1. “U.N. and Iran hold talks on disputed nuclear work,” Reuters, May 12, 2008, at http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSHAF24208920080512?sp=true
• 2. “3rd Iran-IAEA technical talks ends,” IRNA, May 15, 2008, at http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-17/0805157494002132.htm
• 3. “US summons IAEA envoy over Iran,” Press TV, May 13, 2008, at http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=55439&sectionid=351020104
• 4. “Iran delivers proposals on global problems to UN,” AFP, May 14, 2008, at http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hECtKMVpidfAKLbM9BkfPMNz9M7Q