Jalili Leaves Tehran For Baghdad Talks

Tehran, May 22, IRNA – Iran's top nuclear negotiator Sa'eid Jalili left Tehran for Baghdad Monday evening to attend the upcoming nuclear talks with the P5+1 representatives. Deputy of Iran's Chief Nuclear negotiator Ali Baqeri, legal adviser to the Iran Nuclear Energy Organization and the Foreign Ministry Hamid-Reza Asgari as well as the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Former director-general of the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) Mostafa Dowlatyaar are other members of Iran’s delegation to Baghdad, headed by Jalili. Personal representative of Iran's Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei will have some bilateral meetings with the Iraqi officials on the sidelines of the Tehran - G5+1 nuclear talk. Jalili, said in a meeting with the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano on Monday that the verdict of the Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution provides a platform for disarmament and Iranian cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. “The Islamic Republic of Iran’s approach opposing nuclear arms provides an important capacity for the IAEA; Iran will have active cooperation with the IAEA in disarmament, campaign against weapons of mass destruction and peaceful use of nuclear energy,” said Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Jalili He said the IAEA should be an international institution to which the members should refer to protect their rights. “Iran has had an active partnership with IAEA in terms of the member states’ rights and duties and is ready to help promote the IAEA status. Defending rights of the member states would help upgrade the IAEA status.” He noted that framework of cooperation with the IAEA should serve as a logical base and in defense of the member states’ rights. “To this end, Iran will support efforts for IAEA promotion and independence; Iran considers IAEA’s independence and promotion as a factor which would prevent violation of the member states’ rights.” Jalili said Hiroshima culprits, who are still continuing producing and stockpiling nuclear weapons, can not claim campaign against nuclear weapons. Amano, for his part, praised Iran’s civilization and culture and the progress Iran has made in science and technology and hoped that Iran’s potentials and capacity will be used in the future for materialization of the IAEA objectives. Iran on May 23 is to meet representatives of the Group 5+1 in Iraq's capital for the second round of talks which were revived in April in Istanbul after a 15-month hiatus. Iran and the Group 5+1 agreed to resume talks in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 14 and a second round in the Iraqi capital city, Baghdad. The last meeting between the two sides took place in Istanbul in January 2011. Iran and the G5+1 had also held two rounds of multifaceted talks in Geneva in December 2010/end