Tehran, September 14: As the West seems adamant on an urgent meeting with Iran over its nuclear program, Tehran agrees to hold the much-anticipated talks on October 1.
In a telephone conversation with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Monday, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, agreed that representatives of Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — Russia, China, Britain, France and the US — plus Germany (P5+1) hold talks on October 1.
The agreement comes after Iran presented its new package of proposals to the six major powers, aimed at solving global issues.
On Sunday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed readiness to negotiate with the international community based on the package but reiterated that Tehran will not hold talks on its “inalienable [nuclear] rights.”
“We are ready to hold talks on international cooperation and ways to resolve ongoing economic and security problems in the world as we believe that such issues cannot be settled without collective participation,” Ahmadinejad said.
Iran faces pressure to halt its nuclear enrichment, as world powers accuse Tehran of seeking nuclear weaponry. The Islamic Republic, however, denies the allegations and has called for the removal of weapons of mass destruction worldwide.
On Monday, Jalili asserted that the analysis of the package of proposals required the sides to hold face-to-face talks.
—-Agencies