Using ‘illegitimate means’ will harm talks, Iran warns 5+1 group

TEHRAN,June 30(MNA) – The secretary of the Supreme National Security Council has warned the six major powers that using “illegitimate means” by the West against Iran will harm negotiations over the country’s nuclear program. SNSC Saeed Jalili made the remarks in a letter to European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represents the 5+1 group in nuclear negotiations with Iran, which was released on Thursday, three days ahead of the implementation of the oil embargo that the European Union has imposed on Iran. Tehran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) held a new round of talks in Moscow on June 18 and 19 and agreed to hold expert meetings in Istanbul on July 3. Jalili wrote, “The Islamic Republic of Iran, like in the past, is for its part ready to contribute to initiatives that would promise successful and forward-looking negotiations. “The continuation of successful and forward-looking talks is possible only when it is in the framework of a cooperative approach and meant to gain the confidence of the Iranian nation.” He also stated that the Iranian nation expects that the West’s “unconstructive approach” be responded to properly, adding, “The side which replaces logic in negotiations with illegitimate means would be responsible for harming the constructive process of talks.”