WORLD> Middle East
Iran: 5+1 packages can serve as ground for talks
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-06-22 13:07

TEHRAN  -- Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili Saturday said commonalties in the proposed packages of Iran and the Group of 5+1 can serve as a starting point for cooperation and talks, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Jalili made his remarks in a video-conference with some 200 German intellectuals, politicians, security officials, academics and reporters.

Iran's agreement to resume negotiations with the group 5+1 is a golden opportunity to further consolidate and bolster peace, stability and security in the region as well as in the world, he said.

As a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran will remain committed to its obligations but will not submit to any illegal pressures and is to continue its peaceful nuclear activities, Jalili added.

He said Iran can be a major partner for Europe in terms of the role it plays in the region, adding that "cooperation is a prerequisite for overcoming mutual concerns and that's exactly the point which was brought to the notice of EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana."

"As a country with immense potential, Iran is ready for talks and cooperation in areas of mutual concern," he said.

On June 14, Solana handed the offer of incentives to the Iranian authorities on behalf of UN Security Council permanent members -- France, China, Britain, Russia and the United States --plus Germany, in a bid to persuade Iran to halt uranium enrichment.

Solana said on Thursday that he received no formal reply from Iran.

Iran has also presented its own package of proposals, which is aimed to help resolve regional and international problems, including Iran's nuclear issue.

European diplomats said recently the European Union is mulling over energy sanctions if Iran refuses to halt its uranium enrichment program, but the discussions are still at an early phase and a decision would be made in several months.

The UN Security Council has imposed so far three rounds of sanctions against Iran for its refusal to suspend enrichment activities.