Tehran - Iran and the European Union on Monday agreed to
resume talks over Iran's controversial nuclear programme, which for
the first time could involve direct negotiations with the United
States.
During a telephone conversation between Iran's chief nuclear
negotiator Saaid Jalili and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana,
the two sides agreed to pursue talks between Tehran and the so-called
P5+1 group, state television network IRIB reported.
The group consists of the five permanent United Nations Security
Council members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United
States - plus Germany. There was no word on the date or venue of a
new round of negotiations.
State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the US remained 'very
skeptical' of Iran's true intentions over its nuclear programme but
added: 'We welcome the fact that they're, you know, interested in
having a dialogue.'
US President Barack Obama has made some efforts to reach out to
its long-time foe over the last month. The US last week said it was
ready to take a direct part in the talks with Iran in a reversal of
the policy of former president George W Bush.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday declared his
readiness to join nuclear talks with the United States, but once
again rejected the main demand by the international community to
suspend uranium enrichment.
Ahmadinejad said Iran would not make any concessions on its
nuclear rights, saying as it has followed Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regulations.
The West believes Iran is aiming to build a nuclear weapon, which
the Islamic regime strenuously denies. The UN Security Council has
imposed three rounds of sanctions on Iran over its failure to halt
uranium enrichment.
'We encourage Iran to come forward and provide the international
community with all of the assurances that it requires to be convinced
that Iran is pursuing a peaceful nuclear programme,' Wood said. There
was still a 'substantive package of incentives' on the table should
Tehran halt enrichment, he added.
Iran's Atomic Energy Organization claimed last week that the
country had added 1,000 more nuclear centrifuges to its uranium
enrichment plant in Natanz, central Iran, about 1,500 more than UN
nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency reported just
six weeks ago.
Ahmadinejad however reacted positively to the call by Obama for a
world without nuclear weapons and an immediate end to nuclear
testing, saying that Tehran would even be ready to do its share.
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