Mottaki confers with Japanese foreign minister
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Tokyo, Feb 27, IRNA
Iran-Japan-Mottaki
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso on Monday held talks on the latest developments concerning bilateral, regional and international affairs.
Mottaki briefed his Japanese counterpart on Iranian nuclear program and said that Iran practiced confidence building measures to ensure that Iranian nuclear program is designed for civilian purpose, but, the European Union (EU) which had been involved in three-year negotiations with Iran did not take any steps to win Iranian confidence and Iran lost trust in the negotiating parties.
He said that Iran is ready to remove any concerns about national nuclear program with giving objective guarantee and at the same time is determined to restore Iranian rights enshrined by Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
"Iranian nuclear program is transparent and Iran respects Safeguards of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iran will never accept apartheid in science and nuclear energy," he said.
He said that Iran is willing to possess fuel cycle just like Japan does and has called for partnership with international companies in uranium enrichment.
"This indicates the extent to which Iran observes transparency in national nuclear program. No other country has put national nuclear program to international tender," Mottaki said.
Iranian foreign minister criticized the EU for making the Security Council as tools for their own aspirations and said that Iranian national resolve has focused on national nuclear program to produce nuclear energy and Iran has considered all aspects to that end.
Aso said that Japan respects Iranian right to enjoy nuclear energy, calls for Iranian closer cooperation with the UN nuclear agency and sees follow-up of diplomatic negotiations as the best way to resolve the crisis.
On Japan's stance about the latest resolution of IAEA Board of Governors on February 4, Aso said that Japan calls for continued diplomatic means and Iranian constructive cooperation with IAEA just like what Iran exercised so far.
He said that Japan hopes that Russian proposal for uranium enrichment with Iran would be useful to end the stand-off.
"Japan well understands Iranian considerations about fossil energy and the reason for Iran opting for nuclear energy in light of the shortcomings of reliance upon fossil energy and as a friendly nation to Iran, Japan is keen on peaceful settlement of the dispute in this respect," Aso said.
Aso said that Japan is satisfied with development of cooperation between parliaments of the two countries and called for proceeding with such cooperation.
The two foreign ministers called for systematic consultations between Iranian and Japanese foreign ministries on ways to develop economic, trade and cultural cooperation.
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