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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Nuke talks can resume if conditions met: Iran |
| 2010-07-07 |
| Iran on Tuesday set September 1 as a possible date for the resumption of nuclear talks with six world powers which have been stalled since October, but insisted conditions set by Tehran must first be met. Clarification: Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that the country's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, in a letter to European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, said that Tehran needed three issues clarified by the world powers before it could consider resuming talks. Ashton, who is negotiating with Iran on behalf of the so-called P5+1 powers -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the US and Germany -- had invited Tehran for talks soon after the UN Security Council imposed new sanctions on the Islamic republic on June 9. Jalili said the world powers must answer whether the talks are aimed at "engagement and cooperation or continued confrontation and hostility towards Iranians." "Will you be committed to the logic of talks which calls for avoiding threats and pressure," he asked and added that the six powers must air a "clear view" on the "Zionist regime's nuclear arsenal." Israel, which has the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear arsenal, has backed US-led efforts to prevent Iran developing a nuclear weapons capability through sanctions, but has also refused to rule out military force. Iran insists that its nuclear programme is aimed solely at peaceful purposes and says that the international community should focus on Israel, which, unlike Iran, is not a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). "Your response to the above questions can pave the way for forming talks to allay common global concerns for peace and justice with the presence of other interested countries from September 1," Jalili told Ashton, according to IRNA. On June 28, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared a two month freeze until late August on talks with world powers over Iran's nuclear programme, saying it was a "penalty" for backing new UN sanctions on Tehran. Jalili also told Ashton to cast off the West's "dual-track policy" if it wanted Iran's trust "and to make up for the mistakes." The West has used a dual approach -- imposing sanctions and calling for talks -- in its bid to persuade Iran to give up its controversial nuclear programme. Refuelled: Separately on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said that Iranian passenger planes were being refuelled at airports in Britain, Germany and the United Arab Emirates, contrary to the comments of some Iranian officials. "The refuelling of our planes is continuing," Mehmanparast said. On Monday, Mehdi Aliyari, secretary of the Iranian Airlines Union, told ISNA news agency that Iranian planes were being refused fuel at airports in the three countries. Other Iranian officials repeated his allegations. Denounces: Also on Tuesday, China denounced the US for imposing its own sanctions on Iran, saying Washington should not unilaterally take such steps outside of UN resolutions. "China has already noted that the US and other parties have unilaterally put in place further sanctions against Iran," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a news briefing in Beijing. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 ION TOPIX > SOUTH KOREA ASKS UN [UNSC} TO CENSURE NORTH, + SOUTH KOREA, US JOINT [naval]DRILL TO CONTINUE AFTER UN TAKES ACTION ON "CHEONAN" ISSUE: OFFICIAL. * SAME > RUSSIA HOLDS NORTH KOREA REFUGEE DRILL, as part of larger VOSTOK 2010 MILEX. Both Moscow + Beijing repor expect a large wave of DPRK refugees to flow into their countries in case of NK Govt collapse, or inter-Korean mil conflict oer the "Cheonan" affair, + US MIL ENTRY INTO NORTH KOREA. * SAME > CHINA DAILY ISSUES WARNING TO SOUTH KOREA + JAPAN. Do not succumb to "STRATEGIC SCHIZOPHRENIA" + become SCAPEGOATS for the USA, as both SOKOR + JAPAN are likely to suffer the most iff caught in middles of s SINO-US MIL = GEOPOL CONFLICT IN NORHEAST ASIA. BOTH SOKOR + JAPAN ARE AT MIL DISADVANTAGE VEE NUCLEAR = "TIGER LION" CHINA [Lion-Tiger]. * CHINESE MIL FORUM > [paraph US AIRCRAFT CARRIER IN YELLOW SEA A "LIVING TARGET" FOR CHINA'S PLA? Also from CMF > CHINA'S POPULATION TO NEAR 1.4BILYUHN BY 2015; + WHEN WILL CHINA'S ECONOMY SURPASS OURS [US]? ARTIC = as early as 2024, NOT year 2040 or 2050. The PERT ECON MATH is wrong??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-07-07 02:57 |