World Powers Talk Nuclear Issue With Iran
.Iran's top nuclear negotiator met officials from the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany in a villa overlooking Lake Geneva .The US envoy at the talks, William Burns, also met separately with Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili, in a rare official encounter between representatives of the arch-foes, a US spokesman said.
US State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood refused to reveal details of the encounter, but it highlights the new US engagement policy favoured by US President Barack Obama since he succeeded George W Bush in January.It is the first time that Iranian and US officials holds direct talks on a bilateral issue since the two sides broke relations 30 years ago, although meetings took place during the Bush years to discuss Iraq and Afghanistan, a US official saidAmid widening Western concerns about whether Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb, the international powers have urged Iran to give the International Atomic Energy Agency access to the previously secret nuclear site near the holy city of Qom. "This is the first time that we've agreed to sit down with Iran as a full member of the P5+1 discussions," he told journalists.".
Nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili told representatives of world powers at Geneva talks on Thursday that Iran will never give up its "absolute" rights on its controversial atomic programme, ISNA news agency reported.Iran denies that it is seeking a bomb"The Islamic republic of Iran will never give up its absolute rights," Jalili told EU negotiator Javier Solana and representatives of six world powers during the first round of talks, ISNA said.It said that during the talks Jalili comprehensively explained the framework of Iran's package of proposals, which takes into consideration economic, international security and political issuesJalili also stressed the need for complete global disarmament and called for strategies to achieve that aim to be put into place, ISNA said.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said he hoped a breakthrough could be reached in Geneva to avoid sanctions. "Sometimes they are useful but we are not talking about the sanctions in Geneva so far," he said.Russia and China have been reluctant to impose more sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme.The talks between Iran's top nuclear negotiator and the international envoys are the first since Obama took office.The Iranians began the meeting by reiterating that the nuclear standoff was part of a wider range of issues that need to be addressed, "but at least they were talking nuclear towards the end of the morning," a Western diplomat saidThe United States wants Iran to respond to an international offer to suspend sanctions in exchange for Iran halting nuclear enrichment. The revelation of the new site has added a sense of urgency, a US official said.IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Iran was "on the wrong side of the law" by not declaring the new plant to his agency before last week. The IAEA asked Iran for access to the site "as soon as possible," Iranian state television saidIranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad signalled for the first time Wednesday a willingness to discuss enrichment operations at the talks, saying Tehran could allow a third party to enrich uranium for a reactorHe also proposed a framework for discussions with the six powers, including a "summit of leaders to talk about all proposals" of common interest, including nuclear proliferation.
We feel that it is absolutely necessary for all to reach fruitful conclusion. Most of the time we have been hearing threatening iran on the issue.We have also seen high propaganda going on against Iran on all fronts.Even now France, US and Germany are threatening direconsequences..This is not a proper way for discussion and dialogue.In any case we urge Iran to understand the mood of some powers out to harm Iran.It will be a more practical policy to allow access to everything the IAEA may want without sacrificing its right to pursue its peaceful program.Iran should also work for nuclear weapon free Middle East and give a condition that Israel must give up its program
__._,_.___
