Global General

Iran ready for nuclear talks with G5+1

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-04-13 16:12

TEHERAN - Deputy Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Baqeri said the Islamic republic was ready for the next round of talks with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (G5+1), the local satellite Press TV reported Wednesday.

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Baqeri said Tuesday that the time and place for the talks, including the nuclear talks, between Iran and the G5+1 would be decided in the future, said the report.

Nuclear activities are a necessity for the country and nothing can hinder Teheran's nuclear program, Baqeri was quoted as saying, adding that the Islamic republic never sought nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction.

On Tuesday, Iran's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali-Asghar Soltanieh said "Iran has always been ready for non-conditional talks ... and Iran's inalienable (nuclear) rights should be recognized."

"There is also a principle that the space of the talks should be a space for cooperation, not confrontation," he was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency.

In January, six world powers wrapped up crucial nuclear talks with Iran in Istanbul but failed to reach any agreement on Iranian nuclear program.

The West suspects that Iran's uranium enrichment may be meant for producing nuclear weapons, which has been denied by Iranian officials.