NAM calls for nuclear talks with Iran without preconditions

Source :  Tehran Times

TEHRAN – In a statement read out at a meeting of the 35- member International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors in Vienna on Wednesday, the Non-Aligned Movement emphasized that the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program should be resolved diplomatically through talks without preconditions.

“Diplomacy and dialogue is the only way to find a long-term solution to Iran’s nuclear issue, and negotiations should be pursued without any precondition,” part of the statement read.

The statement also welcomed Iran’s decision to continue cooperation with the UN nuclear agency and emphasized that the countries’ right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes should be respected.

The Iranian ambassador to the IAEA delivered a speech at the meeting in which he defended Iran’s peaceful nuclear program and said that the UN nuclear watchdog’s demand for access to the Parchin military site was unjustifiable.

“The agency’s director general’s repeated call for access to the Parchin before the conclusion of a modality is unjustifiable and has made the issue seriously politicized,” Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh said.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano told its 35-nation governing board on Monday, “Providing access to the Parchin site would be a positive step which would help to demonstrate Iran’s willingness to engage with the agency on the substance of our concerns.”

The IAEA has called on Iran to sign and implement a structured approach document to resolve the issues and has stated that gaining access to the Parchin military site, which is located southeast of Tehran, is a priority for the UN nuclear watchdog.

Iran has made it clear that access to the conventional military site would not be possible before an agreement is reached on the structured approach document.

EP/PA