WORLD> Middle East
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WORLD> Middle East
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Iran submits package of proposals to major powers to initiate talks
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-10 06:57 "From our view point, the nuclear issue is finished," Ahmadinejad said, adding "we will never negotiate on Iran's obvious rights." He also said that Iran will continue its work in the framework of global regulations and continue its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He also urged the West to change its attitude towards Iran's nuclear program and said that "they (the West) will not benefit from continuing their previous attitude" to talk about imposing sanctions which are of no effect.
"No one can pose sanctions on us. We certainly welcome sanctions. We can manage ourselves," Ahmadinejad was quoted by official IRNA news agency as saying. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi also said that sanctions will not affect Iran's legal nuclear claim. Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that imposing sanctions and pressure on Iran would neither help to resolve its nuclear issue nor be conducive to the resumption of the international talks on the issue. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu made these remarks in response to a question on China's position on imposing further sanctions on Iran. The United States on Wednesday, however, reiterated that Iran must implement its responsibilities by giving up its disputed nuclear program. "I think Iran has to live up to its responsibilities and end its illicit nuclear program," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters, "that's not just the opinion of one country, that's the opinion of the world. Let's hope we can see them to do that." US President Barack Obama has set a late September deadline for Tehran to initiate multilateral talks over its disputed nuclear issue, or to face further sanctions. The United States and other Western countries claim that Iran intends to secretly develop nuclear weapons. The UN Security Council also requires Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment activity. Iran, however, insists that its nuclear plan is only for peaceful purposes, vowing to continue its uranium enrichment activity despite pressure and sanctions from Western countries. Earlier last week, diplomats from France, Britain, Russia, China, the United States and Germany met in Frankfurt to address the Iranian nuclear issue. Head of the IAEA Mohamed ElBaradei said recently that there is no evidence that Iran would produce nuclear weapons in the near future.
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