Okada urges Iran to halt uranium enrichment, open dialogue with U.S.+

NEW YORK, Sept. 22 Kyodo -
Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada urged his Iranian counterpart
Manouchehr Mottaki on Tuesday to cease uranium enrichment and open dialogue
with the United States on its nuclear program, according to Japanese government
officials.
Okada told Mottaki in their talks in New York that it is regrettable that
suspicions remain over Iran's uranium enrichment program, while calling on the
Iranian foreign minister to speak with U.S. President Barack Obama to ease the
tension between the two countries.
In their 45-minute talks, Mottaki responded that he is closely watching how
Obama will act on his pledge for ''change,'' referring to a key slogan of
Obama's election campaign, and that Iran has no intention to negotiate on its
nuclear rights, the officials said.
Mottaki also said that Iran is developing nuclear power only for peaceful use
and that it does not need to possess nuclear weapons.
The new Japanese foreign minister, who is on his first diplomatic trip, met
with Mottaki on the sidelines of U.N. meetings in New York.
==Kyodo