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US-Iran talks not possible presently: Spokesman

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, July 20, IRNA -- No talks or meetings are presently likely between the Iranian and US officials yet due to Washington’s hostile policies against Tehran, Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday.

The ministry’s Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast made remarks while responding to a question about the possibility of conducting a meeting between Iranian and US foreign ministers on the sidelines of the ongoing international conference on Afghanistan which has started in the Afghan capital city of Kabul earlier Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters at his weekly press briefing, Mehman-Parast said, “No meeting between Iranian and US officials is possible due to the US hostile policies and its efforts to issue anti-Iran resolutions, impose unilateral sanctions against the country and its unacceptable behavior against Iranian nationals.”

Commenting on Iran’s proposals at the Afghanistan conference, the spokesman said that problems in Afghanistan and its consequent tensions in the region “need serious solutions and new approaches.”

He added that Iran’s proposals for Afghanistan would be discussed at the conference by Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki who is also attending the international gathering.

Mehman-Parast stressed that Iran was to play a key role at the ongoing conference unlike a previous conference which was held in London, Britain, where Tehran decided not to take part arguing that the gathering was to pursue objectives other than solving the problem of Afghanistan.

Iran believed that neighboring states of Afghanistan as well as regional countries could play a key role in restoring peace and security both in Afghanistan and in the region by conducting a fight against extremism, terrorism, and illegal drug and by resolving problems of Afghan refugees, stated the spokesman.

He stressed that Tehran would support the idea that the government and people of Afghanistan take the responsibility of restoring peace and security to their country.

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End News / IRNA / News Code 1236722