| Story Views | |
| Now: | |
| Last Hour: | |
| Last 24 Hours: | |
| Total: | |
Iran’s principled stand vindicated in nuclear talks
http://averagejoebodybuilder.blogspot.com/2012/05/irans-principled-stand-vindicated-in.html
The latest round of talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) held in Istanbul on April 14 ended with all sides proclaiming success.
There were two rounds of talks that lasted for a total of ten hours. After the first round, there were bilateral meetings between Iran and the other members, except the US. According to a PressTV report (April 15), the US twice requested a bilateral meeting but Iran's representatives rejected it. Why the US was so anxious to meet Iranian representatives in a face-to-face bilateral meeting when publicly it has been issuing threats was not explained.
Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign policy chief, acting as spokesperson for the P5+1 said after the meeting that the talks were "constructive and useful." She also said that all sides agreed that talks must be held "within the framework of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)," a long held demand of Iran that the P5+1 have finally come around to not only accepting but also reiterating in public. She also said that it was agreed to hold the next round of talks in Baghdad on May 23 and that future meetings would be guided by "the principle of a step-by-step approach and reciprocity." It was also emphasized that the talks would be "substantive."
