Iran says it expects world powers to be serious at nuclear talks

TEHRAN,Feb.16(MNA) – Iran expects world powers to be serious and forthcoming at a new round of talks with Iranian negotiators over Tehran’s nuclear program in Kazakhstan to help the talks produce positive results, Iran’s UN mission said in a statement on Wednesday. The statement was issued in response to the remarks that European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton made on the same day in which she said, “We hope that Iran will come to this negotiation with flexibility and that we can make substantial progress.” Ashton, who has been leading diplomatic efforts on behalf of the six major powers to help resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, also told the 15-nation Security Council during a meeting on the United Nations’ cooperation with regional organizations, “We’re engaging in intensive diplomatic efforts to seek a negotiated solution that meets the international community’s concern about the Iranian nuclear program,” according to Reuters. The five permanent UN Security Council members - the United States, Britain, France, Russia, and China - and Germany will meet with Iran in Almaty, Kazakhstan on February 26. Following are the points made at Iran’s UN mission statement: - As it has been stated time and again, the Islamic Republic of Iran is fully committed to the NPT and is determined to continue its cooperation with the IAEA in accordance with its Safeguards Agreement and is firmly determined to continue to defend its legitimate rights to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, as stipulated in the NPT. - It is obvious that the legitimate rights of Iran to fuel cycle, including enrichment of uranium, should be fully recognized by the group 5+1 according to the NPT. - The Islamic Republic of Iran has always expressed its readiness to continue the dialogue, on the basis of common understanding and mutual respect. - The officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran have reiterated in several occasions that dual track approach currently pursued by a number of countries is a futile exercise in the sense that the track at exerting pressure on Iran will definitely derail the efforts on the diplomatic track. So any negotiations to be successful must be conducted in a cooperative, constructive, and positive spirit. - The Islamic Republic of Iran is serious about those talks and expects the other side to be serious and forthcoming so that the next round of negotiations to be held on 26 February 2013 in Kazakhstan would lead to positive and fruitful results.