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Beijing (AFP) May 24, 2011 China said Tuesday it was considering an invitation to inspect Iran's nuclear facilities and urged Tehran to step up cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, who arrived in Bejing on Sunday, put forward the invitation in talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters. "We will carefully study Iran's invitation for Chinese experts to visit its nuclear facilities," she said. "We also encourage Iran to step up cooperation with the IAEA (the UN International Atomic Energy Agency)." In January, Beijing turned down an earlier invitation by Tehran that was extended in an apparent effort to avoid further UN sanctions. Western powers fear Iran is seeking to build a nuclear bomb. The oil-rich country denies that, insisting its nuclear programme is for peaceful energy purposes. The European Union and the United States have slapped unilateral sanctions on Iran on top of four sets of punitive measures imposed by the UN Security Council. Jiang also urged Tehran to return to negotiations on halting its uranium enrichment programme that include the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia. "We are of the view that dialogue and negotiations are the correct channel to seek a comprehensive and proper settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue," Jiang said. "We hope Iran and the six countries will have a new round of dialogue as soon as possible." The UN sanctions and unilateral punitive measures have allowed Chinese companies to expand their presence in the Islamic republic. China, one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, has emerged as Iran's largest trading partner with direct bilateral trade currently valued at $30 billion, up from $400 million 15 years ago. Chinese purchases of Iranian oil account for much of the trade.
earlier related report "The move (by the EU) to impose sanctions, which follows certain political objectives, is illogical," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in his weekly news conference. The EU on Monday tightened its sanctions on Iran, adding more than 100 firms to a blacklist of companies hit by an assets freeze amid efforts to jump start international talks to convince Tehran to halt its nuclear ambitions. "It is better for the EU to safeguard the interests of its people rather than blindly following the policies of other countries," Mehmanparast said without elaborating. The European Union and the United States have slapped unilateral sanctions on Iran on top of four sets of punitive measures imposed by the UN Security Council. The US, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia have engaged in on-and-off talks with Iran over fears it is seeking to acquire a nuclear military capacity under the guise of its civilian atomic programme. Tehran has repeatedly denied the charges, insisting it is merely trying to meet its people's energy needs. In a new round of talks in Istanbul in January, Iran said sanctions should be lifted for the resumption of talks. But after the talks failed, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton sent a letter to Tehran inviting Iranian officials to return to the negotiating table. Iran responded this month that it is ready for new talks, adding the ball is in the court of the six. But the response from chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili "sadly just reiterated the old positions of Iran," Ashton said Monday. "We want them to move forward with the nuclear talks," she said. In response, Mehmanparast reiterated on Tuesday that Iran was ready for a fresh round of talks. "We have not received any direct indication that the process (of talks) has reached a deadend. We hope that talks will continue... we have announced our readiness to engage in negotiations based on mutual interest," he said.
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Iran arms elite Guards with ballistic missile: reportTehran (AFP) May 23, 2011 Iran has equipped its elite Revolutionary Guards with a new surface-to-surface ballistic missile, the Qiam-1, which was built locally and test-fired in August, Iranian media reported on Monday. "Mass production of the Qiam (Rising) missile, the first locally built missile with no fins, shows Iran's self-sufficiency in manufacturing different kinds of missiles," the hardline Kayhan daily quot ... read more |
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