Official Calls on Iran, West to Keep N. Issue under Control
TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- A former senior Iranian nuclear negotiator stressed the need for the two parties in Iran's nuclear standoff to harness the present crisis.
Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a high-ranking negotiator and spokesman of Iran's former team of nuclear negotiators, told FNA here on Saturday that both Iran and the 5+1 group should take proper care not to drive the situation too critical as it may result in an uncontrollable condition.
"Dispute, difference of views, debate and compromise are all typical of negotiations, but both parties should make sure that the situation is still under control and that it is not growing uncontrollable. This serves to be the Achilles' heel for both Iran and the 5+1," he underlined.
Stressing that the issue can be solved through negotiations, he reminded that both the former and the present teams of negotiators from the Islamic Republic pursued an identical goal but through different tactics.
"Similar to the present team, we also believed that Iran's right to gain access to and master the nuclear technology cannot be replaced with any type of concession or advantage," Mousavian reiterated.
He further elaborated on the strong and weak points of the former team of negotiators and their achievements, and pointed out that the only point which roused Iran's anger at that time pertained to one of the demands put forward by the counterparty in August 2005 plan.
"They asked us to give up enrichment for 10 years so that the two sides could establish very cordial ties and turn into allies," the official said, adding, "And such a demand could not be tolerated by the Supreme Leader, the then president Khatami's administration or the team of nuclear negotiators."
He said that the demand made Iran worry about the length of its voluntary suspension of nuclear activities.
"The Islamic Republic worried that its voluntary suspension of nuclear activities might gradually turn into an obligation," Mousavian mentioned, saying that Iran enhanced its minimum-level operations at Isfahan UCF plant in fear of the prolongation and institutionalization of its voluntary suspension.
He further stated that all the members of the group 5+1 view Iran's nuclear capabilities in direct relationship with Israel's security, and continued, "That is to say, Israel's security is a major contributor when they assess the issue and decide about it."
"That's why both in their (August) 2005 plan and in their recent package of incentives they have made conditional, resumption of Iran's enrichment activities on a series of factors, materialization of which requires 20 years, or still better to say that they can't be materialized within a definite term, and this has been a mischievous measure by the other side," Mousavian stated.
He took 5+1 group responsible for pushing the case into crisis, saying that the UN Security Council Resolution 1737 against Iran would deteriorate the issue.
The former nuclear official called on the US to change its belligerent policy towards Iran, saying that further deterioration of the case will fail to serve the interests of either party.
"Americans should realize that worsening the case would inflict many losses and damages on both Iran and the 5+1, while this is the US which would have to sustain the greatest losses within the 5+1 group," he underlined, and further called on both Iran and the US to try to soothe tensions in their relations.
"I do believe that the joint regional interests of the two countries can serve as an appropriate point for Iran and the US to reduce the existing tensions," he concluded.
Pertinent Links:
1) Official Calls on Iran, West to Keep N. Issue under Control
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