Reuters – Major powers are willing to meet with Iran within weeks if it is prepared to “engage seriously in meaningful discussions” on its disputed nuclear program, the European ‘s foreign policy chief told Tehran in a letter on Friday.
In a long-awaited response to an offer of talks last month from Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, Catherine Ashton made clear her position that there must be no repeat of the last round of talks, which made no progress in January.
EU foreign policy chief Ashton has been leading efforts on behalf of six countries — the United States, Britain, France, Germany and non-Western powers China and Russia — to negotiate with Tehran over its nuclear program.
Iran has said it is willing to resume discussions, but insists that other countries recognise its right to enrich uranium, a major stumbling block, particularly for Western diplomats who see it as an unacceptable precondition.
If Iran is prepared to address concerns without pre-conditions, “we would be willing to agree on a next meeting within the coming weeks at a mutually convenient venue,” Ashton said in her letter, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.
Western diplomats often accuse Iran of seeking further negotiations to buy time for its nuclear program without making any major concessions.
Western powers want Iran to halt enrichment of uranium, which can be used to fuel nuclear power plants, or, if carried out to a higher degree, to make a bomb.
The United Nations has tightened sanctions on Tehran, and the six powers have offered Iran economic and political incentives if it suspends enrichment.
Iran says it needs refined uranium for a planned network of power plants, and has the right to produce it.
“When moving to continuation of our talks, it is crucial to look for concrete results,” Ashton said in the letter. “We have to ensure that when we meet again we can make real progress on the nuclear issue.”
She said the goal “remains a comprehensive negotiated, long-term solution which restores international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature” of Iran’s nuclear program.
“In order to start such a process, our initial objective is to engage in a confidence-building exercise aimed at facilitating a constructive dialogue on the basis of reciprocity and a step-by-step approach,” the letter added.