Washington gives Tehran Freedom to harvest peaceful nuclear energy
Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The United States on Friday has accepted Iran’s right to civilian nuclear energy but outlined a path Tehran should follow to answer questions raised by Washington and reach an amicable conclusion at the ongoing P5+1 talks in Istanbul, Turkey.
“Iran has a right to civilian nuclear energy, stated PJ Crowley, the U.S. State Department spokesman, adding, “but with that right comes responsibilities, and it is Iran that has failed to live up to its international obligations.”
Asked to comment on a bilateral meeting with Iran, Crowley expressed American willingness to engage in a one-to-one meeting saying, “We are always willing to engage Iran on various issues.”
“If we have that kind of conversation, obviously, among other things, we’ll continue to express concern about the two hikers who remain in custody. We’ll continue to demand information regarding Robert Levinson,” noted Crowley, adding, “So we have a list of issues that we’ll be happy to go through with Iran if such a meeting takes place.”
Reiterating American policy of carrot and stick, Crowley told journalists, “We are willing to engage, and our presence in Istanbul is an indication of that, but that we will also continue to pursue pressure and why we continue to fully enact both international and domestic sanctions.”
Crowley blamed Tehran, saying it “has been unwilling or unable for a number of years to answer the basic questions about the nature of its nuclear programs, its enrichment activity, its long-term intent.”
“It is Iran that has failed to meet its international obligations. It is Iran that has failed to cooperate fully with the IAEA. So the onus is on Iran to come forward and say okay, “We will work with you, we’ll answer these questions.” We would like to have that response from Iran, and we’ll see how far this meeting goes in meeting those objectives,” continued Crowley.
“But we’re not putting all of our eggs in one basket. We are willing to engage Iran, but we’re realistic, and we are putting international pressure on the Iranian Government at the same time,” concluded Crowley.
Over the past several years China, Russia, and the United States along with the three EU3 countries (France, Germany and the United Kingdom) have made several diplomatic endeavors to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue with different proposals for a negotiated settlement.
The “P5+1″ term originated with reference to the permanent five members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.
To date all of those efforts have proved futile as proposals have failed to get acceptance from all of the involved parties and efforts to address Iran’s nuclear program continued this weekend at Istanbul, Turkey.
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