AFP/Tehran

We think we can form talks and new co-operations for peace, justice and development in the world

Iran is ready for fresh talks with world powers over its controversial nuclear programme after having updated a package of proposals linked to it, Tehran’s top nuclear negotiator said yesterday.
“The Islamic Republic’s package of proposals is updated and ready and will be presented (to world powers),” Saeed Jalili, who is also the secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, told reporters.
“We hope a new round of talks will be held,” Jalili said. “We think we can form talks and new co-operations for peace, justice and development in the world.”
He said without elaborating that the package would be directed at the five permanent members of the UN Security Council—Britain, China, France, Russia and the US—plus Germany.
The so-called P5+1 are to meet near Frankfurt today to look into harsher UN sanctions against Iran.
Jalili’s announcement comes a day after French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of further sanctions against Iran if it failed to negotiate.
The US, which has led international efforts to thwart Iran’s nuclear drive, has given Iran a September deadline to take up the offer of talks or face tougher sanctions.
The White House said yesterday it had received no official notification from Iran on a package of new proposals.
“We have seen the reports, though we have not heard anything conclusively from the Iranians on that,” spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
“It has always been our hope and goal that the Iranians will live up to their international obligations and give up their nuclear weapons programme,” Gibbs said.
He noted that the P5+1 had made an offer in April, which had still received no response.
In April, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he would offer an updated version of a year-old proposal for talks after the powers called for a resumption of the negotiations, which had stalled in September 2008.
Jalili said Iran was ready with a “revised” package which was updated taking into consideration last year’s global developments, including the economic recession and the Georgian crisis.
“Iran, using its strength and national and regional capacities is ready to co-operate in order to alleviate common international concerns,” he said.
Western powers fear Iran’s nuclear programme will be used to make weapons—a charge Tehran vehemently denies.
Iran’s proposal in May 2008 offered to engage in negotiations without preconditions on issues including the atomic programme, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and co-operation to combat terrorism and drugs.
It was made in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
But on May 25 of this year, shortly before the presidential election, Ahmadinejad ruled out nuclear talks with world powers, insisting that discussions outside the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would “only be about participation in the management of the world and bringing peace to the world.”
Jalili said yesterday that Iran, after Ahmadinejad’s June 12 re-election, was equipped with “suitable power” and “strong” popular support to make a new proposal.
Sarkozy and Merkel said on Monday that they wanted tighter sanctions against Iran if it failed to engage with the international community.
“It is important that a clear statement comes from Iran on whether they are interested in talks, on whether they accept the offers of the international community,” Merkel said.
“If that is not the case then we will of course have to discuss in September, including in Pittsburgh (at the G20 summit on September 24-25), further sanctions.”
Yesterday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi denounced those comments.
“Sanctions will not deter Iran from pursuing its legitimate rights,” he said in a statement.
He also denounced as “unacceptable” a remark by Sarkozy that Iran’s people deserve better leaders than the ones they have.
After his talks with Merkel, Sarkozy had said “the people of Iran deserve better than their current leaders. I want to say how much we admire the courage of the Iranian people.”
The IAEA said in a study that Iran has slowed production of enriched uranium and agreed to tighter monitoring of its enrichment plant.