Iran urges US, powers to be constructive in N-talks
November 20, 2012http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/20-Nov-2012/iran-urges-us-powers-to-be-constructive-in-n-talks
MOSCOW (Reuters) -
Iran is ready for new talks with global
powers on its nuclear programme but the United States and others
seeking to rein in its uranium enrichment activities must be more
constructive, Tehran’s ambassador to Russia said on Monday.
Barack
Obama’s re-election has increased the chances of a revival of talks
between Iran and six powers, but the envoy said the US president should
“change the conduct of the United States as regards Iran and choose a
more logical approach.”
Ambassador Reza Sajjadi said senior
Iranian officials had conveyed Tehran’s preparedness for new
negotiations to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov last
week, but his remarks appeared to set a firm tone for any new round.
“We
hope that in the next talks, the six nations - instead of (applying) a
double standard, would approach these talks more constructively,”
Sajjadi told a news conference, speaking through an interpreter.
Three
rounds of talks since April have failed to resolve the long dispute
over Iran’s nuclear programme, which Western powers say is aimed at
developing a nuclear weapons capability. Iran denies this, saying its
programme is for peaceful energy only. But neither side has been willing
to abandon dialogue, in part because a total breakdown could heighten
the risk of Israel bombing Iranian nuclear facilities, potentially
igniting a new war in the Middle East.
The six nations leading
diplomatic efforts with Iran - permanent UN Security Council members the
United States, Britain, France, Russia and China, as well as Germany -
meet on Wednesday to discuss negotiating strategy.
Iran’s critics
say it has used talks to play for time while drawing closer to weapons
capability, mostly by increasing its stockpile of uranium enriched to a
level - 20 percent - that makes it relatively easy to further process to
bomb grade.
Uranium enrichment refined to 5 percent is suitable
to fuel civilian nuclear power plants - Iran has none but says it plans
to build them - while Tehran says the 20 percent product is for running
its Tehran medical research reactor.
A UN nuclear agency report
last week said Iran is set to sharply expand its uranium enrichment
after installing all the centrifuges its underground Fordow plant was
built for. Uranium is being enriched to 20 percent purity there.
Asked
whether the additional centrifuges at Fordow would be used to refine to
20 percent or to the lower level required to make reactor fuel, Sajjadi
did not answer directly but gave no indication they would be used for
lower-level enrichment.
“Fordow already is operating, and ... is carrying out enrichment of uranium up to 20 percent,” he said.
Sajjadi
said a priority for Iran at a new round of talks would be receiving a
formal response from the global powers to a “five-point” proposal that
Tehran put forward at previous talks and includes a range of nuclear and
non-nuclear issues.
He did not elaborate on how the United States
and other powers could be more constructive. But his references to
“logical approach” and “double standard”, have often been used by
Iranian negotiators and are regarded as code language for Tehran’s
demand for formal recognition of the right to enrich uranium and a
removal of UN sanctions.
They were also another signal that Iran
would not buckle under increasingly harsh economic sanctions meant to
pressure it to suspend enrichment and negotiate on safeguards that big
powers see as vital to ensuring Iran’s programme is peaceful.
“During
the talks, the United States had two approaches up until now. First of
all, they wanted to force Iran to retreat and to reject its legal
rights. And second, to damage Iran’s economy and deliver blows to the
Iranian people,” Sajjadi said.
“Iran has shown that there will be
no retreat and that the reaction of the Iranian people to such mistaken
actions will be decisive. So it is probably necessary for Mr. Obama to
change the conduct of the United States as regards Iran and choose a
more logical approach.”
This news was published in print paper. Access complete paper of this day.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar