Brussels, 06/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, suggested in a letter to the Iranian negotiator, Saïd Jalili, that discussion should be resumed on Iran's nuclear programme. She specified that the date and place for resumption of talks should be decided as quickly as possible. The EU has proposed a meeting with Jalili “in the coming days” to prepare the talks, which will not take place before the Iranian new year, on 20 March, according to a European diplomatic source. “There will be a series of talks, because we are talking about very complex issues”, he explained on Tuesday 6 March.
In her letter on behalf of the E3+3 (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, China and United States), Ashton underlines that the dialogue should focus on Iran's nuclear programme, although she explains that the members of the E3+3 are ready to tackle other subjects of interest to Iran also. The diplomatic source said: “We shall make it clear that we will want to have meaningful discussions and the focus must clearly be on the nuclear issue”.
“The ball is in their court”, the same source said, underlining that “we don't want to have talks for the sake of talks. (…) We want concrete results. They are very, very important talks and we do not want them to fail.” “We hope that this time Iran is ready”, he added, saying why he thought there was more chance of success this time as “there is a clear written commitment by Iran to be willing to address the nuclear issue in talks”, then there is the “unity of the international community” and there are “sanctions”.
The importance of confidence-building. In her letter, Ashton places emphasis on trust. She is convinced that, first and foremost, one must work on the “shared aim to enter into constructive dialogue on the basis of reciprocity and a step-by-step approach based on practical and specific suggestions for confidence-building”. The goal, she said, “remains a comprehensive negotiated, long-term solution which restores international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme”.
In a letter on 14 February, in response to Ashton's October letter, Jalili suggested resuming talks on the Iranian nuclear programme as soon as possible. The last discussions, in January 2011, were a failure. (CG/transl.jl)