ID :
181380
Wed, 05/11/2011 - 10:11
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Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/181380
The shortlink copeid
Iran welcomes 5+1 group’s return to talks
TEHRAN, May 11 (MNA) -- The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has replied to the EU foreign policy chief’s recent letter, saying Iran welcomes the decision taken by the 5+1 group to return to talks on common ground for cooperation.
On May 1, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton wrote a letter to SNSC Secretary Saeed Jalili, who is Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator and who was the head of the Iranian delegation during the previous talks with the 5+1 group (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany). The content of Ashton’s letter was not released to the media.
“We welcome your return to the talks on common ground,” Jalili said on Tuesday.
He went on to say that international developments over the past few months have proven that Iran’s package of proposals for negotiations was prepared based on a thorough understanding of the realities on the ground.
“Certain countries’ senseless insistence on the retention of the existing unjust world order, opposition to the will of the people, and support for despotic rulers cannot continue any longer,” he said.
“Respecting nations’ rights and refraining from exerting pressure on them are two basic principles of cooperation,” he added.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday that Iran and the 5+1 group will hold talks in Istanbul in the near future.
“I am hopeful that new steps forward will be taken in the next Istanbul talks. The fact that they have realized that negotiation is the only way is regarded as a step forward and Iran welcomes that,” Ahmadinejad said, adding, “I hope that a final result will be achieved in the Istanbul talks.”
Later, Washington said it could not confirm Ahmadinejad’s announcement, Reuters reported.
“Obviously, it has been some time since our last P5+1 talks. We’ve been quite clear on what we are looking for. But we do support this dialogue, and as we’ve said often, there’s two tracks here and the door does remain open,” U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner told a news briefing.
After the end of the Geneva talks in early December 2010, Jalili announced that Iran and the 5+1 group had agreed that the future talks would focus on common ground for cooperation.
However, the 5+1 group reneged on the agreement, and after the end of the Geneva talks, Ashton, who represented the six major powers at the talks, read out a statement saying the nuclear issue would be the focus of the next round of talks, a move which drew strong criticism from Iranian officials.
Iranian officials have made it clear that Iran will not negotiate or compromise on its inalienable nuclear rights but say they are always ready to hold talks with the major powers on major international issues, including nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
In late January, a new round of talks between Iran and the major powers was held in Istanbul but no date was set for the next round of negotiations.
Foreign media outlets reported that the talks did not yield any concrete results. But after the end of the talks, Jalili said at a press conference, “The talks focused on common ground for cooperation.”
He also said that Iran was still ready to engage in additional negotiations, but the talks should be based on logic.
On May 1, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton wrote a letter to SNSC Secretary Saeed Jalili, who is Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator and who was the head of the Iranian delegation during the previous talks with the 5+1 group (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany). The content of Ashton’s letter was not released to the media.
“We welcome your return to the talks on common ground,” Jalili said on Tuesday.
He went on to say that international developments over the past few months have proven that Iran’s package of proposals for negotiations was prepared based on a thorough understanding of the realities on the ground.
“Certain countries’ senseless insistence on the retention of the existing unjust world order, opposition to the will of the people, and support for despotic rulers cannot continue any longer,” he said.
“Respecting nations’ rights and refraining from exerting pressure on them are two basic principles of cooperation,” he added.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday that Iran and the 5+1 group will hold talks in Istanbul in the near future.
“I am hopeful that new steps forward will be taken in the next Istanbul talks. The fact that they have realized that negotiation is the only way is regarded as a step forward and Iran welcomes that,” Ahmadinejad said, adding, “I hope that a final result will be achieved in the Istanbul talks.”
Later, Washington said it could not confirm Ahmadinejad’s announcement, Reuters reported.
“Obviously, it has been some time since our last P5+1 talks. We’ve been quite clear on what we are looking for. But we do support this dialogue, and as we’ve said often, there’s two tracks here and the door does remain open,” U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner told a news briefing.
After the end of the Geneva talks in early December 2010, Jalili announced that Iran and the 5+1 group had agreed that the future talks would focus on common ground for cooperation.
However, the 5+1 group reneged on the agreement, and after the end of the Geneva talks, Ashton, who represented the six major powers at the talks, read out a statement saying the nuclear issue would be the focus of the next round of talks, a move which drew strong criticism from Iranian officials.
Iranian officials have made it clear that Iran will not negotiate or compromise on its inalienable nuclear rights but say they are always ready to hold talks with the major powers on major international issues, including nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
In late January, a new round of talks between Iran and the major powers was held in Istanbul but no date was set for the next round of negotiations.
Foreign media outlets reported that the talks did not yield any concrete results. But after the end of the talks, Jalili said at a press conference, “The talks focused on common ground for cooperation.”
He also said that Iran was still ready to engage in additional negotiations, but the talks should be based on logic.
