Brussels, 26/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 25 September, Iran's President Hassan Rohani announced that he wants the Iranian nuclear issue to be settled in three months. “We need resolution in a reasonable time (…) The shorter it is, the more beneficial it is to everyone. If it's three months, that would be Iran's choice. If it's six months, that's still good. It's a question of months, not years”, he said in an interview with the Washington Post. Rohani stated that he is waiting for the E3+3 (Germany, France, United Kingdom and China, United States, Russia) to prove, during their meetings, that the Iranian nuclear issue is “a real concern”. “If this is the case, I can guarantee that it can be settled very quickly”, he added. Rohani also underlined the importance of “the confidence that has to be built”.
“You need to recognise the severity [for Iran] of the nuclear file. It's a file under the UN Security Council, with sanctions and unilateral sanctions. Iran feels it's a heavy file”, Rohani stated, adding that “if the West recognises Iran's legal rights, then there's really no hurdle in creating full transparency that's necessary to settle this case”.
Rohani stated that settling the nuclear file is “one of the responsibilities” of his government, which is “fully empowered” to finalise the nuclear talks, but he said that the Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah, “has his own views” regarding “the general strategy” on the nuclear issue.
On 26 September, Iran's Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was due to meet his E3+3 counterparts to discuss the nuclear issue.
According to an official from the European External Action Service, Iran is reportedly also planning on setting up a human rights dialogue with the EU. (CG/transl.fl)