Talks with US possible: Iran
Saturday, July 19, 2008
ANKARA/WASHINGTON: Iran is open to the idea of talks with the United States on establishing a US interests section in Iran and launching a direct air link, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Friday.
He also welcomed as ôpositiveö US participation in international talks in Geneva at the weekend on Tehrans nuclear programme and said he expected progress in the negotiations.
ôIn my opinion, talks and a deal on an American bureau in Iran and direct flights between Iran and the United States is possible,ö Mottaki told reporters after talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan.
He said Tehran knew through media reports of a US plan to open an interests section in Iran, the first such link between the two foes in nearly 30 years.
Londons Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday, without identifying its sources, that Washington would announce in the next month plans to establish an interests section staffed with diplomats in Iran, similar to its outpost in Cuba.
ôIn recent years, there are many people from the United Statesùstudents, academics, businessmen, artistsùwho want to visit Iran. We support such a development between the two peoples,ö Mottaki said.
He said several US companies were already operating in Iran but refused to identify them ôbecause of the delicacy of the issue.ö
Iran and the United States have not had diplomatic relations since 1980 after Islamist students stormed the US mission in Tehran and held its diplomats hostage for more than a year.
Mottakis comments came ahead of Saturdays Geneva talks between Iran and six world powers, which, in a major policy change for Washington, will be attended by US Undersecretary of State William Burns. The US participation is ôa new positive approach,ö the Iranian minister said.
ôI hope this progress (in the negotiation format) will also reflect on the content of the talks,ö he said. ôIf the negotiations continue in this way, I hope there will be a positive outcome.ö
In Geneva, Irans top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili is to meet EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana to discuss a package of incentives offered to Tehran by Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States in return for freezing its uranium enrichment programme.
Western powers and Israelùbelieved to be the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle Eastùfear that Irans uranium enrichment programme is aimed at producing a nuclear weapon. Tehran insists it is for peaceful energy purposes only.
Neither the United States nor Israel has ruled out military action against Iran to stop its nuclear programme, although Washington has repeatedly said it favours diplomacy.
Babacan said Ankara favours dialogue to resolve the dispute and said the problem stemmed from a lack of trust. ôWe hope the latest initiative (in Geneva) will be successful,ö he said.
Turkey says Iran has the right to possess nuclear power for peaceful purposes, but opposes nuclear weapons in the region.
Babacan said on Thursday that Ankara is making intense efforts to facilitate dialogue on Irans nuclear programme, making use of its good ties with all the parties.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday confirmed that the United States had shifted in its position on diplomacy with Iran, with the decision to send a senior envoy to Geneva to participate in nuclear talks with Irans top negotiator.
ôThis decision to send Undersecretary (William) Burns is an affirmation of the policy that we have been pursuing with our European allies ... for some time now,ö Rice said. ôIt is, in fact, a strong signal to the entire world that we have been very serious about this diplomacy and we will remain very serious about this diplomacy.ö
