FM: Iran-5+1 Talks Based On Joint Plan Of Action

Tehran, Feb 18, IRNA – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the upcoming talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 would only be limited to the issues agreed in the Joint Plan of Action singed on November 24, 2013. ˈWe will only talk about the contents of the Geneva deal. Issues out of the Joint Plan of Action wonˈt be certainly discussed. This is an explicit and clear issue,ˈ Zarif said while speaking to IRNA exclusively on Sunday, a day before departing to Vienna, Austria. Zarif left Tehran for Vienna Monday morning to attend the next round of nuclear talks with the world Sextet (US, Britain, Russia, France and China plus German) to begin on Tuesday. Zarif is leading the Iranian delegation while European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is heading the G5+1. Commenting on the issues to be raised during the upcoming talks, he said, ˈIran is the one who decides about the issues. Determining the topics of discussion by Tehran is an indication to our independence and this is what we do not exchange with anything else.ˈ Stressing that the Iranian nuclear negotiating team enjoys the full support of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Zarif said for talks with the US officials, ˈWe only talk about certain issues as emphasized by the Supreme Leader. ˈIn the present situation, we have decided to talk to US only about nuclear issues. We have never said that this will always be the case.ˈ As for western statesˈ demand for the closure of Iranˈs Fordo facility, Zarif said, ˈWe have announced from the very beginning that no country or official has the right to dictate anything to us. Our people resist against use of force and imposition.ˈ The foreign minister said during the next round of talks, Iran is to ensure the other side that its nuclear activities are peaceful. ˈIf they mention demands irrelevant to the peaceful nature of Iranˈs nuclear program, then we will by no means accept it. ˈWe have already announced that we will not shot down any of our nuclear facilities. At the same time, we have repeatedly voiced our readiness to remove logical concerns of the other side during the talks.ˈ/end