Iran Again Asks For Nuclear Talks With UN
February 28, 2012
VOA News
With international tensions running high over its controversial nuclear program, Iran on Tuesday repeated assertions that it wants talks with the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency.
"We are optimistic," Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said, "that upcoming meetings between the high delegation of the [U.N.] and the Iranian [side] will be proceeding hopefully in the right direction."
Salehi's comments in Geneva come after the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency said last week it has "major differences" and "major concerns" with Iran over its nuclear program and possible weapons development.
U.N. inspectors said that a visit to Tehran, aimed at gaining greater access to key nuclear sites and scientists, ended in failure.
Iran, which claims to have peaceful nuclear ambitions, has made numerous statements indicating it is ready for international dialogue but has put conditions on possible talks.
Israel and Western powers accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian energy program, a charge Tehran denies.
In a speech to the U.N.-sponsored Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Salehi accused the West of double standards in supporting Israel, which is widely believed to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East though it has never confirmed having a nuclear arsenal. Salehi called for the elimination of all nuclear weapons worldwide and said Iran does not seek confrontation and conflict.
Israel and the United States have not ruled out the use of force to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon. Tehran has threatened to take its own pre-emptive military action if it believes its national security interests are being threatened.
An Associated Press report on Monday quoted a U.S. official as saying Israel has informed Washington it would provide advance notice of any pre-emptive strike on Iran.
Russia and China, as well as many Western nations, are concerned that any military action against Iran could engulf the Middle East in wider war, which would send oil prices soaring at a time of global economic troubles.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said last week that he has fears that some nations are using the Iran nuclear controversy as a pretext to "change the regime."
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano said Iran rejected a request to inspect the Parchin military complex near Tehran, suspected of housing a secret underground nuclear facility.
Amano said Tehran refused to allow his team to interview scientists or engage in substantive talks about Iran's nuclear course.
Chief inspector Herman Nackaerts called the visit "disappointing." He said the IAEA had gone into its latest visit - and a previous, inconclusive one last month - "in a constructive spirit," but that "we could not finalize a way forward."
He said the IAEA's next steps will be determined after his team reports to the agency's chief and its board of governors, which is scheduled to meet early next month.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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