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US SHOULD NOT TAKE PART IN EU-IRANIAN TALKS, ASSEFI SAYS

RIA Novosti

TEHRAN, MARCH 14, (RIA Novosti's Nikolai Terekhov) - The Iranian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi believes that the United States should not take part in Iranian-EU talks concerning Iran's nuclear programs.

The US side would spoil everything, if it wants to join these talks in line with its current intentions, Assefi noted. The United States should change its policy with regard to Iran, respecting the rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran to master civilian nuclear technologies, Assefi told reporters March 13.

The Iranian diplomat discussed various details of yet another round of Iranian-EU talks (that ended in Geneva last week), noting that certain differences existed. Still one cannot say that our dialogue is not yielding any results, and that this is an impasse, Assefi stressed.

The European Union insists on a permanent moratorium as regards all uranium-enrichment operations. Meanwhile Tehran keeps saying that it has the right to develop civilian nuclear technologies, and that it has merely stopped all uranium-enrichment operations in order to create an atmosphere of trust during the negotiating process.

According to Tehran, Iran and the EU should elaborate a formula that would enable both sides to provide mutual guarantees of fulfilling their commitments.

Iran should guarantee the peaceful nature of its nuclear programs, continuing its uranium-enrichment operations all the same. Meanwhile the EU should guarantee the fulfilment of its commitments before Iran. This concerns the provision of advanced nuclear technologies, efforts to facilitate Iran's admission into the World Trade Organization and the development of regional political cooperation.

Iran does not fear that its nuclear file might be submitted to the UN Security Council for consideration (in case Tehran refuses to stop its uranium-enrichment operations ad infinitum), the Iranian Foreign Ministry's spokesman added.

We no longer have any arguments for telling the United States and the EU that the Islamic Republic of Iran boasts an impressive potential and strength, the Iranian Foreign Ministry's spokesman noted.

In his words, anti-Iranian sanctions had been imposed some time ago. Those sanctions affected the Iranian economy for some time, eventually facilitating our country's prosperity and consolidation, Assefi noted.

It is crystal clear that a decision to submit the Iranian nuclear file to the UNSC for consideration would, first of all, harm Europe and the United States, the Iranian Foreign Ministry's spokesman added.