Ahmadinejad says Iran ready for negotaitions

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a press conference yesterday in New York that Iran will start talks with a G5+1 member to set up the “framework for the continuation of negotiations.”

Ahmadinejad who was speaking in the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly declared: “G5+1 has cut off the dialogue unilaterally and issued resolutions against Iran.”

G5+1, which is comprised of the US, Russia, Britain, France, China and Germany, have not reacted to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s statements.

Sergey Lavrov, Russian foreign minister, expressed hopes that Iran evaluates the international community’s proposals.

Last Wednesday, G5+1 foreign ministers issued a statement to announce their readiness to engage in renewed talks with Iran.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told reporters in New York that in the course of Iran’s negotiations with Turkey and Brazil who were intermediating nuclear talks, G5+1 suspended and cut off the negotiations unilaterally.

Brazil and Turkey brokered a deal with Iran last May which was snubbed by the West. G5+1 went on to push for a UN resolution to impose sanctions on Iran. The resolution passed in June with Turkey and Brazil voting against it.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the press conference: “If world powers provide the necessary fuel for Tehran’s medical nuclear reactor, Iran will stop uranium enrichment to 20 percent.”

Last year, the IAEA proposed that Iran could exchange its low-grade uranium in exchange for high-grade uranium provided by the West. Disputes over the location of this exchange suspended the talks.

With Brazil and Turkey, Iran agreed to make the exchange on Turkish territory, but the agreement was dismissed by the G5+1 members.