Time to return to talks

In the meantime, the US-led West has tightened its grip on Iran's oil exports and threatened Teheran with military attacks. But Teheran has not yielded to the mounting pressure from the West.

In August 2012, Iran hosted the Non-Aligned Movement summit, in which representatives of 120 member states, including 30 heads of state or government, participated. The NAM summit shattered the US' belief that Iran had been isolated from the international community.

In response to the US' actions and covert threats, Iranian air and land forces held several military exercises and tested advanced missiles last year. Also, Iran has thrown its weight behind Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and greatly improved its ties with Egypt. These countermeasures are bound to have an impact on the countries in the region.

More than six months have passed since the last talks were held between P5+1 and Iran without achieving a breakthrough. But the recent developments have increased the chances of a diplomatic resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue. In fact, this week's IAEA-Iran talks and Iran's latest stance on banning nuclear weapons have created the right environment for the resumption of the talks between P5+1 and Iran.

But to keep the diplomatic process rolling, the West has to show flexibility and view the Iranian nuclear issue from a regional perspective. The Syrian crisis, Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Iranian nuclear issue and the instability in Iraq and Libya have taken a heavy toll on the Middle East economy and people. So even if there is the slightest chance of resolving any of these issues, the international community should seize it to restore peace in the region.

Indeed, the P5+1-Iran framework can pave the way for a comprehensive, just and proper resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue.

US President Barack Obama will be sworn in as US president on Jan 21, and a new round of talks between P5+1 and Iran could be a starting point for him to test his foreign policy in his second term. Since his hard-line policy toward Teheran during his first term failed to yield any fruitful result, it is high time he changed his policy and showed some flexibility to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue.

Of course, Teheran has to do more to convince the rest of the world that it is not developing a nuclear weapon. But the international community should respect Iran's right to peaceful use of nuclear technology. And to usher in a new era of engagement, the relevant countries should sincerely try to make some headway to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue this year.

The author is a senior writer with China Daily. E-mail: wanghui@ chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 01/19/2013 page5)