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Britain wants bilateral talks with Iran over the nuclear issue

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, March 26, IRNA - Britain says it supports multilateral and bilateral talks with Iran over its nuclear issue.

“We support multilateral and bilateral talks with the Iranian government. The multilateral offer in respect to the nuclear file was agreed in London in May last year by the six foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, the US, Russia and China,” David Miliband, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary told IRNA on Thursday.

Miliband said Iran could exercise its rights to access civilian nuclear technology if it is willing to abide by its responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“And I think it’s important that the Iranian government think very carefully about the opportunity that now exists from different kinds of dialogue not only with us but also with the United States. We are determined to work on that through all the multilateral forms that exist but also through bilateral engagement with the government and people of Iran”.

Referring to the recent messages by the US President Barack Obama to engage in direct talks with the Islamic Republic, Miliband urged Iran to take the opportunity “to move towards a position where it can exercise its rights in international community.”

“I believe that there will never be a better opportunity that has been created by President Obama’s election and his commitments and recent outreach to the Iranian people and government to move towards a position where Iran exercises its rights in international community."

Miliband made the comments during an FCO briefing on Thursday in response to a question by IRNA with regards to probable future engagement between Iran and the West.

The British foreign secretary further urged Iran to critically fulfil its responsibilities, claiming "the lack of confidence in the Iranian nuclear program stems from the very real evidence and facts of misleading information and secret behaviour of Iran before 2003”.

“I think that it is very important that we keep saying, as I have said many times before, that we are not seeking regime change in Iran. We are seeking a change in behaviour as it affects the rest of the world."