ID :
181224
Tue, 05/10/2011 - 14:35
Auther :

Iran Responds to EU Foreign Policy Chief's Letter

TEHRAN, May 10 (FNA)- Iran announced on Tuesday that it has sent a response to the letter it had earlier received from European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton about talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany).
The letter which has been written by Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili was submitted to Ashton on Tuesday through Tehran's Envoy to the EU Ali Asqar Khaji.

"I welcome your return to the talks for cooperation on common points," the letter said.

Jalili also stressed in his letter that certain governments useless insistence on the continuation of unequal relations in the world and confrontation against the nations' will and demands as well as support for tyrannical rulers cannot be continued.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had confirmed last night that Tehran will soon give a response to the letter of Catherine Ashton about talks between Iran and the Group 5+1.

He welcomed the G5+1's desire to continue talks with Iran, and said, "We have always been ready for negotiations but negotiations should be within the framework of justice and respect and in the direction of mutual cooperation and we hope that they have reached the conclusion that talks within the framework of law and justice and cooperation with the Iranian nation serve their interests more."

Ahmadinejad also appreciated the Turkish government for hosting the previous round of talks between Iran and the G5+1, and expressed the hope that the important issue will be settled in Istanbul talks.

Iran and G5+1 attended three rounds of talks in Istanbul, Turkey, in January.

The Iranian side was presided by Jalili, while European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton headed delegations from six world powers.

Speaking to reporters in a press conference in Istanbul at the time, Jalili said, "We have always stressed that talks can be useful, successful and progressive only when they are based on a common logic."

"If you decide to use another instrument instead of common logic, this would result in dictation and not negotiation, and dictation does not deserve a kind of talks based on the nations' cultures."

"On the very same basis, we proposed the Istanbul talks in the Geneva meeting because we believed that a majority of talks over international issues can be held on the basis of the Islamic civilization," Jalili said.

"Our Geneva agreement included several key points, including talks for cooperation on common points."

"This was our agreement in Geneva, which surely inspires everybody's mind with the idea that when cooperation on common points is the agenda of talks, such negotiations should advance and be progressive. When the decision has been made to talk over common points and talk for cooperation, then such talks can certainly be progressive, successful and constructive," he continued.

Asked when the talks can be successful, Jalili answered "when the requirements of this common logic are clear. When you speak of cooperation, you must avoid whatever causes confrontation and animosity towards a nation, when you speak of cooperation on common points, you must surely respect the nations' rights".

"What has been enshrined in the international rules and regulations in a straightforward manner provides the necessary grounds for talks. I don't think that if you tell the international community and the world that talks should be based on the nations' rights, the world would interpret it as a precondition for talks."

"Respect for the nations' rights provides the necessary grounds for negotiations," he added.





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