SWITZERLAND: Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili says talks held with major powers will only continue on 'mutual' ground

Record ID: 575191

  • Title: SWITZERLAND: Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili says talks held with major powers will only continue on 'mutual' ground
  • Date: 8th December 2010
  • Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (DECEMBER 7, 2010) (REUTERS) IRAN'S CHIEF NUCLEAR NEGOTIATOR SAEED JALILI SPEAKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) IRAN'S CHIEF NUCLEAR NEGOTIATOR SAEED JALILI, SAYING: "Iran will continue talks only if they are based on mutual cooperation and only if they are about issues that both sides are agreed upon." JALILI'S HANDS AS HE TALKS CAMERAMEN FILMING JALILI GETTING INTO CAR
  • Embargoed: 23rd December 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Switzerland, Switzerland
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Topics: International Relations,Energy
  • Reuters ID: LVA690A2REY0JRF6I0QW7P3MTDXV
  • Story Text: Major powers and Iran ended two days of talks on Tuesday (December 7), an official close to the meeting said, but there was no sign of any breakthrough in the long-running dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
    Iranian state television said Iran and the six major powers -- the United States, France, Russia, Britain, Germany and China -- would meet again in Istanbul by the end of next month.
    At the Geneva talks, the powers sought to put concerted pressure on Iran to agree to discuss international concern over its nuclear programme, which the West suspects is aimed at making bombs.
    But Iran made clear again it would not back down in the dispute, which has the potential to spark a military conflict in the Middle East with dire consequences for the world economy.
    "Iran will continue talks only if they are based on mutual cooperation and only if they are about issues that both sides are agreed upon," Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili said.
    Iranian state Television reported him saying: "we will not talk about Iran's nuclear rights and Iran will never accept pressure.
    Underlining how far apart the two sides remain, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said negotiations could be "fruitful" if sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear activities were scrapped -- a likely non-starter for the West.
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