Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran is ready
to show flexibility in nuclear talks with Western powers in order
to reach an agreement acceptable to all sides, the state-run Arabic
television Alalam reported Monday.
"In order to reach a comprehensive understanding in nuclear
negotiations, we are flexible in the framework of the (UN)
regulations," Mottaki told Alalam in Jordan on the sidelines of the
World Economic Forum meeting on the Mideast.
Iran welcomes negotiations "to remove any possible ambiguities
and (guarantee) non-diversion of its nuclear activities" without a
precondition, he said.
"The only price we cannot pay is relinquishing the Iranian
nation's right to acquire peaceful nuclear technology," Mottaki
said, adding "the officials and the government are not allowed by
the nation (on a compromise)."
Meanwhile, Iran's local ILNA news agency quoted Mottaki as
saying that the next round of talks between Iran's chief nuclear
negotiator Ali Larijani and European Union foreign policy chief
Javier Solana over Iran's nuclear issues is likely to take place in
Spain within the last ten days of May.
In late April, Larijani and Solana held two rounds of talks in
the Turkish capital of Ankara over Iran's uranium enrichment
program. After their meetings, the two negotiators told reporters
that they had made progress in their talks.
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted on March 24 a new
resolution with tougher sanctions to pressure Iran to suspend
uranium enrichment activities.
Iran has refused to heed the Security Council's demand,
insisting that its nuclear programs are for peaceful purposes
only.
The United States and some other Western countries have accused
Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of its
civilian nuclear programs.
(Xinhua News Agency May 22, 2007)
