Iran’s Jalili, EU Foreign Policy Chief Hold ‘useful’ Talks | ||
Iran’s Jalili, EU Foreign Policy Chief Hold ‘useful’ Talks Iran’s top nuclear negotiator and the European Union foreign policy chief held “useful” talks over Tehran’s nuclear program in Istanbul.
The bilateral meeting of Saeed Jalili, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton came after a high-level meeting between Iran and the P5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) in the Kazakh city of Almaty on April 5 and 6, 2013. The West suspects Tehran’s nuclear program may be aimed at developing nuclear weapons capability, but Iran insists it is purely for peaceful purposes. According to AFP, Ashton called the Istanbul talks “useful” in a statement and said that it was time to “reflect on how to go to the next stage of the process.” In a press conference in the Turkish city, Jalili said, “Last night’s talks were useful,” adding, “It was agreed that we reflect further on the matter with new initiatives and continue the talks.” “Last night, we discussed what initiatives should be developed to make the steps (that both sides are expected to take) balanced and of equal weight,” he said. Jalili, who is also a candidate in Iran’s June presidential election, added, “Sometimes opportunities are created, and if they do not use them, those opportunities will be lost.” He insisted that Iran’s right to uranium enrichment must be recognized. There has been little public discussion of the proposals put forward by Iran and world powers. However, according to the New York Times, the major powers dropped their demand that Iran shut down its underground uranium-enrichment plant at Fordo, where it enriches uranium to 20 percent, and insisted instead that Iran suspend enrichment work there and agree to unspecified conditions that would make it hard to quickly resume production. They also said that Iran could continue to keep a small amount of uranium enriched to 20 percent for use in a research reactor that produces medical isotopes. If Tehran agreed to these steps, the major powers said they would suspend some sanctions against Iran, including trade in gold and petrochemicals, and would not impose new sanctions through the United Nations Security Council and the European Union. The main oil and financial sanctions would not be loosened. Iran’s main demand is that its right to uranium enrichment, as stipulated in the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, be recognized.
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