Ankara, September 13: After major world powers called for a meeting with Iran to resolve the country’s nuclear case, Turkey says it is ready to host the talks.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who was wrapping up a two-day visit to Tehran, said Sunday that talks between the sides should start as soon as possible.
Iran’s new package of proposals included appropriate grounds for holding talks on leading international issues, Davutoglu said in a meeting with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili.
The international calls for new rounds of nuclear negotiations came after a telephone conference between five permanent members of the UN Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the US — plus Germany on Friday following the presentation of Iran’s package on Wednesday.
Today, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed readiness to negotiate on a wide range of global issues 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 believe its program is aimed at building a nuclear bomb. Tehran, however, denies the allegations and has called for the removal of weapons of mass destruction across the globe.
—–Agencies