Region | Iran
European and American diplomats study next steps
Top US and European diplomats met Wednesday to plan a way ahead in dealing with Iran's suspected nuclear programme just hours after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad indicated he was willing to build a new relationship with the United States.
- AP
- Published: 22:59 April 16, 2009
- Clinton and Solana met for talks after Ahmadinejad said he was preparing proposals aimed at breaking the impasse with the West over his country's nuclear programme.
- Image Credit: AP
Washington: Top US and European diplomats met Wednesday to plan a way ahead in dealing with Iran's suspected nuclear programme just hours after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad indicated he was willing to build a new relationship with the United States.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana met for talks on Iran just hours after Ahmadinejad said he was open to finding new ways to deal with the United States. Ahmadinejad said he is preparing new proposals aimed at breaking the impasse with the West over his country's nuclear programme.
"With respect to the latest speeches and remarks out of Iran, we welcome dialogue," Clinton told reporters after seeing Solana, adding that Iran has not yet given any formal response to the overtures.
"We've been saying that we are looking to have an engagement with Iran, but we haven't seen anything that would amount to any kind of proposal at all."
She said the six nations trying to lure Iran back to the negotiating table would have more to say in the coming days. Those countries, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, asked Solana last week to invite Iran to a new round of talks.
"We will continue to work with our allies to make it clear that Iran cannot continue to pursue nuclear weapons," Clinton said. "We will stand behind the sanctions that have already been implemented, and we will look for new ways to extend collective action [on] Iran's nuclear programme."
Solana said he had not yet received a formal response from Iran to the invitation and declined to comment on Ahmadinejad's comments.
Under former President George W. Bush, Washington had attended only one meeting with senior diplomats from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and Iran's top nuclear negotiator. Bush officials said the US would not participate in other talks until Iran had suspended uranium enrichment activities that can produce ingredients for nuclear weapons.
Under President Barack Obama, who is open to engagement with Iran, US officials say that condition has now been dropped. US officials say they may be willing to allow Iran to continue enrichment for a period of time while negotiations are under way, although they insist that a suspension of Iran's activity remains their ultimate goal.
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