Iran praises US participation in nuclear talks
July 23, 2008 A senior diplomat from the U.S. joined envoys from five other
world powers in Switzerland at Saturday's talks on Iran's nuclear
program. Ahmadinejad told thousands of supporters gathered in the
southern Iranian town of Yasouj that U.S. Undersecretary of State
William Burns "spoke politely and in a dignified manner."
"It was a step toward recognizing the rights of the Iranian
nation, toward justice, toward repairing your image in the world,
toward cleaning 50 years of crimes you committed against the
Iranian nation," Ahmadinejad said, addressing the U.S.
The United States and other Western nations accuse Iran of
seeking to acquire nuclear weapons and demand that it freeze its
uranium enrichment program. Iran says its nuclear program is for
peaceful purposes. Ahmadinejad on Wednesday again vowed Iran will
not "retreat one iota" from pursuing it.
The U.S. participation in the Geneva talks had raised
expectations for a compromise under which Iran would agree to stop
expanding its enrichment activities. In exchange, six world powers
- the U.S., Germany, Britain, France, Russia and China - would hold
off on adopting new U.N. sanctions against Iran.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said negotiators were hearing
"very diverse signals" from Iran on its intentions but that she
was still counting on a diplomatic solution. "I am counting on
that and nothing else," she told reporters Wednesday.
In France, which currently heads the European Union, Foreign
Minister Bernard Kouchner said he wasn't surprised that Ahmadinejad
"declared he won't budge" because the Iranian president has
proved "quasi-unable to show political flexibility."
"It's always disappointing to see how peace efforts are opposed
by a tenacity ... that doesn't benefit the Iranian people,"
Kouchner said.
He said the slow beginning to the Geneva talks did not mean a
diplomatic solution would not be found. "The Iranian (negotiators)
we are sent are much more flexible than President Ahmadinejad," he
told reporters.
The heads of the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran's
top nuclear official plan to meet Thursday, the U.N. agency said
without providing details.
The meeting was requested by Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, head of
Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said a diplomat close to the
U.N. nuclear watchdog. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity
because the information was confidential.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday accused Iran
of not being serious at the Geneva talks. She said Iran had given
the run-around to the envoys, while all six nations were serious
about a two-week deadline for Iran to agree to freeze suspect
activities and start negotiations or else be hit with new
penalties.
Iran already has defied three sets of U.N. sanctions over its
uranium enrichment activity.
But recent Iranian pronouncements suggest the Islamic Republic
may be looking to improve ties with the United States, with
officials speaking positively to the possibility of opening an
interests section in Tehran after closing its embassy there decades
ago.
Ahmadinejad urged the United States to continue its "positive"
attendance in the talks.
"I advise you not to ruin the positive step you took through
irrelevant words and claims," he said.