Saturday, October 16, 2010

Iran, P5+1 to Hold Nuclear Talks in November

The momentum for holding three-day talks over Iran’s nuclear program is building up. On Thursday, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton had made the original proposal for the talks to be held in Vienna in mid-November. On Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki welcomed her offer, saying the reestablishment of negotiations between Iran and P5+1 is a positive move from his country’s perspective. Although Iran has not yet officially accepted Ashton's offer, we understand it will do so in the coming days.

Today, the US State Department spokesman P. J. Crowley said he hoped there would be serious discussions with Iran. Crowley quoted President Obama as saying, “The door to diplomacy is still open for Iran, and the West is awaiting Iran's response.”

"The door has been open to Iran for some time, and really - literally, the ball is in Iran's court," Crowley added. "We hope they'll respond to Catherine Ashton and hope we can begin a sustained dialogue with Iran."

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