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EU3 accepts Iran's offer to resume nuclear talks next month

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Nov 27, IRNA
Nuclear-Iran-EU3
The so-called EU3 has accepted Iran's offer to take up nuclear negotiations from where they were left off in August, the country's top security body said on Sunday.

A letter signed by British, French and German foreign ministers was delivered by the EU3 ambassadors here Sunday, announcing the bloc's readiness to resume the negotiations next month.

In a letter dated November 6, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani had invited the Europeans to resume the negotiations.

The Europeans' positive response to the invitation comes even as they had made resumption of talks conditional on Iran's renewed suspension of uranium enrichment activities.

In his letter, Larijani had announced that 'Iran welcomes rational and constructive negotiations in the framework of international rules and regulations'.

The top negotiator had also stressed the need for the Islamic Republic to 'acquire its legal and legitimate right of the Iranian nation and guarantee the country's national interests'.

Negotiations broke down in August after Iran rejected an EU proposal of concessions, which the country described as 'a package of lollipops' and resumed uranium conversion work.

The three ambassadors handed over the letter, signed by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and his French and German counterparts Philippe Douste-Blazy and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to the SNSC deputy head, Javad Vaeedi, in a meeting here Sunday.

Earlier Sunday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi stressed that the focal point of any future negotiations would have to provide 'concrete guarantees for realizing production of nuclear fuel in Iran'.

"We believe that negotiations with Europe must be rational ...

they must not set out special regulations for the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"The period of negotiations must be definite and their aim must not be burning opportunities; moreover, treatment of Iran must not discriminatory," Asefi told reporters.

The official also played down press report about proposal to transfer uranium enrichment to Russia under a joint venture with Iran as 'media speculation'.

"This is a fabrication of news to determine the fate of negotiations through media. However, the fate of negotiations must be decided on the negotiating table," he added.

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