Iran deplores Group 5+1 has resorted to levers of pressure

Tehran, Oct 7, IRNA - Iran on Tuesday complained that the Group 5+1 has resorted to levers of pressures instead of offering answers to a package of questions to and resolve the dispute over Iranian nuclear program.

Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili forwarded
a letter to Javier Solana, High Representative for the Common Foreign
and Security Policy/ Secretary-General of the Council of the European
Union and Representative of the six countries complaining that the
Group is looking at nuclear talks with Iran as merely a tactical tool.

"In view of the Geneva Talks and the emphasis of both sides on
presenting a clear response to each other, the Islamic Republic of
Iran in its letter of 5 August 2008 expressed its readiness to offer
transparent response vis-a-vis reciting clear replies to its
questions," Jalili said in his letter to Solana.

"Soon after, while welcoming this approach you asked in your telephone
conversation of 11 August 2008 that our deputies have a meeting to
discuss these ambiguities and questions. However, despite the
readiness of the Islamic Republic of Iran, your deputy was not ready
to have this meeting even 17 days after that date. Following our
conversation, which was characterized by you as serious, substantive
and successful, your representative stated that he would raise the
serious questions of the Islamic Republic of Iran with other members.

Ten days later he stated in a telephone contact that the Directors of
the six countries will meet in Washington DC and later their foreign
ministers will confer in New York to review and answer the questions
raised by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"It is interesting for the international community to see that in the
course of talks when a rational question is raised, the other party to
the talks resorts to levers of pressure instead of offering answers to
questions and trying to remove ambiguities. In the judgment of the
world community, this unreasonable behavior is an indication of the
lack of a clear response to the principled questions of the Islamic
Republic of Iran. It also reinforces the doubt that some powers look
at talks as merely a tactical tool. The absence of civilized tradition
of "dialogue" among certain powers that prefer to use levers of
pressure instead of reasoning is not a matter that is unknown to the
world community.

"About 6 months ago, the Islamic Republic of Iran proposed a package
of proposals, based on its actual capabilities and capacities, for the
purpose of paving the way for talks on common concerns with collective
commitments to have a world based on justice, peace and harmony. You
are fully aware of the main building blocs of our package for a world
free of weapons of mass destruction, collective efforts for nuclear
disarmament and non-proliferation. It appears that these proposals are
not pleasing for those powers that have worked many years to stockpile
and proliferate nuclear weapons.

"There is no doubt that accepting of this proposal, trying not to miss
the time and the opportunity and avoiding illogical behavior, could
have given us a solid base for constructive and cooperative
relationships," he said.

Jalili forwarded copy of the letter to Mr. Yang Jiechi Minister of
Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Dr Bernard Kouchner
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the French Republic, Dr
Frank-Walter Steinmeier Deputy Federal Chancellor and Federal Minister
of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Sergei
Viktrorovich Lavrov Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian
Federation, Mr. Miliband Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland and Dr Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State of the
United Sates of America.