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Talks on Iran's peaceful nuclear program start in London

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Feb 26, IRNA
Iran-Talks
Diplomats from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (5+1 Group) are meeting in London Monday for a fresh round of talks on the dispute over Iran's peaceful nuclear program.

The meeting comes after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported last week that sanctions imposed in December had no effect in forcing Iran to suspend its right of uranium enrichment programme as a precondition for talks.

The Foreign Office in London said that the meeting, which is being held behind closed doors, will be "the first of several exchanges that will happen over coming weeks."

"This is one of meetings at political directors level to assess the most appropriate measures and re-evaluate ways to persuade Iran," a spokesman told IRNA.

The so-called 5+1 countries have two choices of focusing on seeking ways of obtaining a breakthrough on restarting talks with Iran without any preconditions or discuss more sanctions.

The Foreign Office spokesman said that the pursuit was for a "diplomatic solution".

The officials from Britain, the US, France, Russia, China and Germany are attending the London meeting amid reports that it could take months again to sort out disagreements on any new measure.

The previous resolution in December imposing limited sanctions on Iran took months to work its way through the Security Council because of a lack of consensus.

A new agreement could prove even more difficult following reports that diplomats at the IAEA in Vienna disclosed that the intelligence claims made by the US about Iran's nuclear programme have proved to be unfounded and unreliable.

Academics have also questioned the basis of Iran's case being referred to the Security Council from the UN specialized agency, IAEA, because it has the right to enrich uranium like all states signatories to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Uranium enrichment is at the level of Research and Development by commissioning less than 1,000 centrifuges.

According to provisions of the NPT, every member state is obliged to open its nuclear sites to the inspection of the IAEA.

Iran respects IAEA Safeguards Agreement and cameras of the UN nuclear agency have been installed on all Iranian nuclear sites.

2220/345/1416