Iran rejects US-EU deadline: Responding to proposals by July 5
By Masood Haider
UNITED NATIONS, June 29: Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Moutaki on Thursday rejected US and European Union demand to respond by July 5 to their proposals on Iran’s nuclear programme, saying ‘we have to clear ambiguities in their proposals.”
“We will respond by first or second week of August after we have been given satisfactory answers on the questions we have on their proposals,” said Mr Moutaki through a translator at a press conference.
“We have told the negotiating parties that they will gain nothing if they show tough approaches,” he said and added: “Iran wants to remove ‘ambiguities’ in the proposals through negotiations”
UNSC SESSION DEMANDED: Before opening the press conference to questions, Mr Moutaki said that the Iran government had written to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to immediately convene a special session of the UN Security Council on Middle East in the wake of massive Israeli attack in Gaza.
He said that the Israeli actions … were a direct threat to ‘international peace and security’ which warranted world body’s urgent attention.
“Israel with its barbaric action against the Palestinians is not only violating the international human rights conventions but also is a threat to all the nations in the Middle East region” he said, referring to the Israeli planes flights over the palace of Syrian President Bashar Al-Asad in Damascus.
Amid barrage of questions about Iran’s nuclear options, Mr Moutaki pointed out that it took European Union and others almost three years to respond to Iran’s suggestions.
The United States, Russia and other western powers have said they expect Iran to answer “yes” or “no” next week to an international offer to bargain over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.
“We are disappointed in the absence of an official Iranian response to this positive proposal,” said a statement from the foreign ministers of the Group of Eight industrial nations. “We expect to hear a clear and substantive Iranian response to these proposals” at a meeting scheduled for July 5 between the European Union’s foreign minister and Iran’s nuclear negotiator.”
