...

'Iran won't discuss N rights in Turkey'

Iran Materials 9 December 2010 15:15 (UTC +04:00)

A senior Iranian lawmaker has reiterated that Tehran will not discuss its "inalienable" nuclear rights with the P5+1 in the next round of talks in Turkey, Press TV reported.

"Iran is not supposed to negotiate its nuclear rights defined under the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) with the P5+1," said Chairman of the Parliamentary (Majlis) Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy Alaeddin Boroujerdi, Mehr news agency reported Wednesday.

He said that, under the NPT, Iran was entitled to use peaceful nuclear technology, adding that those countries that seek to impede Iran's access to such technology, in fact, violate the Article VI of the treaty.

The Article VI of the NPT states that nothing in the treaty should be interpreted as affecting the "inalienable rights" of all the parties to the treaty "to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes."

Under this article, all parties to the treaty are also obliged to "cooperate" with other countries in contributing to the "further development of the applications of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes."

Boroujerdi reiterated that the Iranian nuclear issue was practically solved, adding that the West needed to admit to Iran's access to nuclear know-how.

Iran and the P5+1 ended two-day multifaceted negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday, with both sides agreeing to hold the next round of talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul in late January.

EU foreign policy chief Catherin Ashton, who represents the P5+1, described the negotiations as "detailed" and "substantive."

Ashton added that talks would resume in Istanbul in late January, when "we plan to discuss practical ideas and ways of cooperating towards the resolution of our core concerns about the nuclear issue."

This comes as Tehran made it clear ahead of the Geneva negotiations that the comprehensive talks with the P5+1 would not include the nuclear issue as the case had been resolved.

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili, who is Iran's chief negotiator at the multifaceted talks, told a press conference following the negotiations on Tuesday that Tehran is ready for global cooperation in various areas.

He told reporters that the issue of nuclear weapons is a common concern of the world and that those who have nuclear arsenals have violated the NPT.

Jalili, however, stressed that Iran had only agreed to continue negotiations within the framework of "cooperation based on common points."

He said any other claims were contrary to the agreement and of no value.

Latest

Latest