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Iran blames the West for failure of nuclear talks

Updated: 2011-01-24 06:40

(Xinhua)

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TEHRAN - Iran blamed the western countries on Sunday for the failure of a nuclear meeting in Turkey and said that it is still ready for further talks.

Six world powers, namely the five permanent members of the UN Security Council including the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France, plus Germany (G5+1), wrapped up nuclear talks with Iran without any progress in Turkey on Saturday.

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Iranian lawmaker, Kazem Jalali, said Sunday that western countries, in particular the US, were responsible for the failure of the Istanbul talks.

The Islamic Republic entered the talks with clear offers and transparent, logical and practical stance, but unfortunately the West failed to seize the opportunity, Kazem Jalali was quoted as saying by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

He said that Istanbul talks seemed to bring fruitful results, but some western countries and in particular the US officials chose to make troubles in Istanbul talks as they used to do in the past.

The lawmaker reiterated that "they (Westerners) should end threat, sanction, pressure ... so that joint concerns could be dealt with based on collective respect."

He criticized the remarks of the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton concerning Iran's preconditions in the nuclear talks and said that her words are a "diplomatic mistake".

Ashton told a news conference at the end of the two-day talks in Istanbul on Saturday that G5+1 were "disappointed" with Iran's stance in the nuclear talks and its preconditions were unacceptable.

Ashton said no further meetings were planned but the door remained open for Iran if it chose to respond positively.

"We have not left table of talks so far and we are ready for negotiations," but the talks should be meaningful and based on recognition of Iranian nation's nuclear rights, Jalali said, according to ISNA.

"Ashton's remarks resulted from a diplomatic mistake, since Iran has always declared its readiness; and today the ball is in the western countries' court," Jalali was quoted as saying.

On Sunday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran is ready and hopeful about the future talks with the world powers.

However, the talks should aim at recognizing the nuclear rights of Iran and other nations, he made the remarks in the Iranian northern city of Rasht when addressing a crowd.

The condition for the "good results" to be achieved from the future talks is that the world powers should be committed to "law, justice and respect," added Ahmadinejad.

Iran did not expect the issues over its nuclear program be settled in four or five sessions, said the president.

He also pointed out that Iran is ready for cooperation with the powers, adding that it is better for the West since Iran has achieved the nuclear technology and nothing can force it back on its path forward.

Earlier in the day, an Iranian nuclear official Ali Baqeri said Tehran is ready to hold talks regarding the nuclear fuel swap issue within the framework of mutual cooperation.

The two-day Istanbul meeting did not plan for further talks in the near future.

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