Tag: Ashton

Iran proposes to reopen nuclear talks
Islamic republic says it has notified UN of its intention to resume negotiations amid confusion over reported missile tests
- David Batty and agencies
- guardian.co.uk, Saturday 31 December 2011 15.26 GMT
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili says his country is ready to return to the table. Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPA

Iran has proposed to reopen negotiations about its controversial nuclear programme with the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.

The invitation by Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, comes in the wake of new sanctions recently imposed by the UN over Tehran’s uranium enrichment programme.

The last round of talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN security council and Germany – held in Istanbul in January – ended in failure.

“We formally declared to them [the intent] to return to the path of dialogue for cooperation,” Jalili told Iranian diplomats in Tehran, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Iran’s ambassador to Germany, Ali Reza Sheikh Attar, said earlier on Saturday that Jalili would write to the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, to arrange a new round of talks.

The proposal for new negotiations came as there were conflicting reports as to whether Iran had tested long-range missiles during naval exercises in the Persian Gulf. Iran’s state media initially reported early on Saturday that missiles had been launched – a move likely to worry the west, which is concerned over threats by Tehran to close a vital oil shipping route.

But Iranian deputy navy commander Mahmoud Mousavi later told Press TV that no missiles had been fired. “The exercise of launching missiles will be carried out in the coming days,” he told the channel, owned by the state Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Corporation.

The UN has imposed four rounds of sanctions on Tehran over the nuclear enrichment, while the US and the EU have also imposed their own sanctions.

Earlier in December, Iran reinstated an offer for the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit Tehran, although it did not say whether officials would be able to focus on suspicions that Iran is secretly working on nuclear arms – a key condition set by the agency.

The US and Israel have not ruled out a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities if Tehran doesn’t stop its nuclear programme. Jalili warned that any attack on Iran would be met with retaliation. “We will give a response that will make the aggressor regret any threat against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.

via Iran proposes to reopen nuclear talks | World news | guardian.co.uk.
January 1, 2012
Iran nuclear talks could resume soon – EU’s Ashton

By Fredrik Dahl

VIENNA | Sat Oct 22, 2011 1:43am IST

(Reuters) – Major powers are willing to meet with Iran within weeks if it is prepared to “engage seriously in meaningful discussions” and address concerns about its nuclear programme, the European Union’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 took place in January in Istanbul and ended with no progress.

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 disputed atomic activities.

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.

They want Iran to agree to suspend enrichment activity which they suspect forms part of a covert weapons programme, and answer questions raised by the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

If Iran is ready to discuss concrete confidence-building measures without pre-conditions, “we would be willing to agree on a next meeting within the coming weeks at a mutually convenient venue,” Ashton said.

“I welcome your suggestion to resume talks, in order to take fundamental steps for sustainable co-operation,” she said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.

Her response to Jalili comes amid heightened U.S.-Iran tension. The United States accused Iran this week of a plot to kill the Saudi envoy to Washington, a charge Iran rejected as an attempt by its arch foe to further isolate it.

“CONFIDENCE-BUILDING EXERCISE”

In Vienna, the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is next month expected to issue a report on Iran that will strengthen suspicions that it may be working to develop a nuclear missile. The document may provide the West with new arguments to impose further punitive steps on Iran.

But divisions have emerged among the six powers over the report, with Russia and China signalling concern it could hurt any chance for diplomacy and arguing Iran should be given time to study its content before it is published.

Western diplomats often accuse Iran of seeking further negotiations to buy time for its nuclear programme without making any major concessions.

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 and not to repeat the experience of Istanbul,” Ashton said. “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 programme.

“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.

via Iran nuclear talks could resume soon – EU’s Ashton | Reuters.

October 22, 2011
Turkey, France and EU welcome Israel-Hamas deal to trade prisoners

ANKARA/PARIS/BRUSSELS: Turkey welcomed Wednesday a deal between Israel and Hamas in which a Franco-Israeli soldier, held for five years, is to be exchanged for more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners.

“We are happy,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, of the deal that will see the Palestinian militant group free Gilad Shalit, who they have held since 2006.

“The agreement that had been concluded is a good agreement,” he said.

“It is a positive development that will lower pressure” in the Middle East, he added.

Turkey was ready to contribute to “any peaceful effort” that would allow people kept from their loved ones to find their families – whether it be Shalit or the Palestinian prisoners, he said.

Turkey had in the past had direct and indirect contact with Israel and Hamas in a bid to free Shalit, said Davutoglu.

Khaled Meshaal, Hamas’ exiled political chief, had phoned him to brief him on the details of the deal, he said.

France also hailed the deal, with President Nicolas Sarkozy calling the agreement a “major success” for Israel.

Sarkozy’s office said the president was “delighted” at the news of the deal and “thanked all those who contributed to this agreement, notably Egypt for the essential role it played.”

The French head of state had spoken by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and congratulated him for this “major success,” said the statement, released late Tuesday.

Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton also welcomed the deal between Israel and Hamas. “I warmly welcome the news that Gilad Shalit will soon be able to return home after five years of captivity, putting an end to the long ordeal that he and his family have endured,” she said.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on October 13, 2011, on page 8.

via THE DAILY STAR :: News :: Middle East :: Turkey, France and EU welcome Israel-Hamas deal to trade prisoners.

October 13, 2011
Ashton hopes Iranian reshuffle does not delay Iran Six talks

EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton expressed concern on Monday that the dismissal of Iran’s foreign minister would delay the forthcoming meeting of the Iran Six in Istanbul.

Following the latest round of talks in Geneva on December 6-7, the Iran Six group of international mediators (Russia, the United States, China, Britain, France and Germany) agreed to reconvene in Istanbul at the end of January.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki earlier on Monday and temporarily replaced him with the country’s atomic energy chief Ali Akbar Salehi. Spectators say the move is a signal to the West that Iran is not willing to relinquish its nuclear program.

The Iranian media has been saying for the past year that Mottaki would be dismissed if a new round of UN sanctions was placed on the Islamic Republic. The UN Security Council implemented a fourth round of sanctions on Iran in June.

The West, led by the United States, suspects Iran of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program, but the Islamic Republic insists it needs nuclear power solely for civilian purposes.

The Iran Six has been trying since 2003 to convince Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program and to alleviate concerns about its nuclear ambitions.

BRUSSELS, December 13 (RIA Novosti)

via Ashton hopes Iranian reshuffle does not delay Iran Six talks | World | RIA Novosti.

December 14, 2010
Next Round of Iran Nuclear Talks Set for Istanbul

Iran and major world powers agreed to continue talks on Iran’s nuclear program in late January in Istanbul, EU’s foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton told Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday. Ashton called Davutoglu on the phone and informed him about the decision, Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Six powers –the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany– who are represented by EU’s top diplomat Ashton have had nearly two days of talks on the Iranian nuclear program in Geneva. These countries highlight the need for Iran to comply with its international obligations.

During the phone call, Ashton said Turkey’s contribution to talks was appreciated. For his part, Davutoglu said Turkey would continue to play a role that would help achieve global and regional peace, according to foreign ministry statement.

Davutoglu also said that he would be happy to host participants of talks in Istanbul.

In a statement earlier in the day, Ashton had said, “we and Iran agreed to a continuation of these talks in late January in Istanbul where we plan to discuss practical ideas and ways of cooperating toward resolution of our core concerns about the nuclear issue.”

AA

December 8, 2010
Turkey questions P5+1 objection

Ankara’s envoy to Tehran says the world’s major powers should explain the reason for their objection to Turkey hosting the multifaceted talks between Iran the P5+1.

Turkish Ambassador to Tehran Umit Yardim

On October 14, EU Foreign Affairs Chief Catherine Ashton proposed three-day talks to be held in mid-November in the Austrian capital of Vienna, expressing hope that Tehran would “respond positively” to the offer.

Iran’s proposed date and venue for talks with the P5+1 — Britain, China, France, Russia and the US plus Germany — were announced last week in a letter sent by Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili to his counterpart Catherine Ashton.

Ashton accepted Iran’s proposed date for talks, but suggested Vienna or Switzerland as the venue for the first meeting.

“P5+1 officials should answer why they have objected to Istanbul hosting negotiations between Iran and the P5+1,” Umit Yardim told IRNA on Sunday.

“Of course where negotiations are held is not important, the key point is conducting the talks,” Yardim added.

“Turkey supports finding a peaceful solution to Iran’s nuclear issue,” the Turkish envoy concluded.

Iran has announced that it will negotiate the issue of a nuclear fuel swap with the Vienna group — France, Russia, the US, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — within the framework of the Tehran declaration, and that its multifaceted talks with the P5+1 will not include the nuclear issue.

Iran signed a declaration with Turkey and Brazil on May 17 based on which Tehran agreed to exchange 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium on Turkish soil with nuclear fuel.

The US and its allies, however, snubbed the declaration and used their influence on the UN Security Council to press for fresh sanctions against the Islamic Republic over the allegation that Tehran might pursue a military nuclear program.

Iranian officials refute US allegations and stress that Tehran has always been interested in the peaceful applications of nuclear energy.

MYA/HGH/MMN

November 15, 2010