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Iran's Ahmadinejad backs 'just' nuclear talks
Tehran (AFP) July 29, 2008 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday Tehran would continue talks with world powers aimed at resolving the crisis over its atomic drive provided these are "on equal footing." "Tehran is interested in continuing nuclear talks but the talks should be just and on equal footing," Ahmadinejad was quoted by the Mehr news agency as telling visiting South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. "We welcome the US presence in the talks," Ahmadinejad told Dlamini-Zuma on the sidelines of a foreign ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran. "These kinds of talks should continue until we reach an agreement. Understanding and talks are a two-way matter but if one side puts forward conditions then it becomes unfair and it is natural that no nation will accept this," he said. "(They) should not put any illegal conditions on the talks since this will wreck the negotiation process. Iranians will not give up even an inch of their rights," he added. In Geneva, Iran was set a two-week deadline which expires on Saturday to give a final answer to world powers who have offered a package of incentives to try to persuade Tehran to halt sensitive nuclear work. But Iran has rejected any deadline, saying it was agreed in Geneva that it would during a two-week period examine the proposal put forward by permanent UN Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Iran on Tuesday not to delay a decision on the international offer of incentives. "The Iranians should know that this is not going to be a matter that they can stall," Rice said in Washington. Asked what would happen if there was no satisfactory response from Iran, Rice said, "We have been very clear that we have two tracks -- if one track is not working, then we are going to have to go to the other." The two-track approach is based on negotiations on the one hand and punitive sanctions on the other hand. Earlier Tuesday, Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili gave an upbeat assessment of the talks with world powers. "The negotiations have been positive and progressive, and in Geneva the seven nations got a better understanding of one another's views," Jalili was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency. He was referring to his talks on July 19 with representatives of major powers including EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and, for the first time, an official from Tehran's arch-foe the United States, William Burns. The six nations, concerned that Tehran is pursuing a clandestine nuclear weapons project, have offered to start pre-negotiations during which time Tehran would face no further sanctions if it did not add any more uranium-enriching centrifuges. The package, offered to Iran in June, includes trade incentives and help with a civilian nuclear programme in return for suspending enrichment. Iran is under three sets of UN Security Council sanctions over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment, a process which makes nuclear fuel but can also create the fissile core of an atomic bomb. Tehran denies the charges and maintains that it seeks nuclear programme for peaceful purposes aimed at producing electricity. Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak, whose country considers Iran its greatest threat, urged the United States during a visit to Washington to keep all options open in dealing with Iran's nuclear programme. "A policy that consists of keeping all options on the table must be maintained," Barak told US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, his ministry said on Tuesday. "Iran's plans pose a threat to regional and global stability. We insist that it is vital to continue tightening the economic and financial sanctions imposed on the Iranians." Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear armed state in the Middle East although it has a policy of neither confirming or denying it has a nuclear arsenal and does not allow international inspections. Responding to Barak's plea, a Pentagon spokesman said Washington believes economic and political pressure are the best ways to dissuade Iran from seeking atomic weapons. "I think the Israelis are keenly aware that we believe the best possible avenue of dissuading the Iranians from pursuing nuclear weapons is through economic and political pressures," said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary. Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
White House skeptical over Iran's stance
Washington (AFP) July 28, 2008The United States remains skeptical about Iran's willingness to compromise in negotiations over its nuclear program, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said on Monday. |
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