Unconditional Talks the First Step towards Change

United States direct presence in nuclear negotiations can bear positive effects. By Kazem Jalali, Iranian MP.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs denied on Thursday a report by New York Times that United States may be considering to abandon conditions for negotiations with Iran. Kazem Jalali, rapporteur of national security and foreign policy of the Iranian parliament has commented for Iranian Diplomacy:

As frequently stated, Iran will pursue its nuclear activities according to international law and NPT regulations. Therefore, we believe that complying with internationals laws and regulations can be the sine qua non of negotiations for all parties involved.

No section of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has it that the signees have no right to enrich uranium. On the other hand, all members are obliged to accept IAEA inspections and not divert their activities towards non-peaceful purposes. If United States’ new administration is going to echo neo-conservatives, change would become meaningless.

Stepping backwards or shifting policy?

Sitting at the nuclear table without preconditions is a constructive measure that may lead us out of the current impasse. This would be a sign of strategy shift in U.S. policies. With deeper changes we can expect heartwarming outcomes. Since Iran has moved within the framework of international regulations, the initial steps should be taken by United States. Anyway, t was the American president who promised for changing the previous policies. We hope that he realizes his promise since in that case, Iran will naturally change its policies.

United States’ direct presence in negotiations

Last year, United States participated in Geneva talks with Iran, along with five other world powers. I believe that their presence in future negotiations –if followed by a rational, different policy- can be effective.