Gates visits Oman; Iran, Yemen on agenda

AP— Tensions with Iran and the escalating terror threat in Yemen will be key topics of discussion when U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates meets Sunday with leaders in Oman here on the edge of the Arabian Sea.

An ally of both the United States and Iran, Oman has served as an intermediary in negotiations with Tehran, including successful mediation in October that led to the release of an American hiker held in an Iranian prison for more than a year.

Gates’ visit comes against the backdrop of the recent WikiLeaks release of some quarter million sensitive and classified diplomatic memos — or cables are in diplomatic parlance. Many underscore the Arab world’s anxiety about Iran and its nuclear ambitions.

The cables detailed pleas from Arab leaders for action against Tehran, including warnings that someone must cut off the head of the snake before it strikes.

Equally worrisome is Oman’s neighbor to the west — Yemen, where al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has been gaining strength and plotting attacks against the U.S. and other Western interests. Officials have been trying to rally a more regional effort to help the poverty-stricken Yemen battle extremists within it borders while bolstering its economic and political stability. Continued...

Mottaki meets with Turkish, Yemeni, Jordanian counterparts in Manama

Tehran Times - On the sidelines of a regional security summit in Manama, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki held separate talks with his counterparts from Turkey, Jordan, and Yemen as well as Bahraini Crown Prince.

The Seventh International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Regional Security Summit: The Manama Dialogue, hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain, opened on December 3 and runs until December 5.
 

In the meeting held between Mottaki and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Friday, the two sides discussed the latest international and regional developments as well as issues of mutual interest.
 

They also emphasized that the crises in the region can be resolved though regional approach toward the issues.
 

Increasing the level of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries were also discussed by the two foreign ministers.
 

In his meeting with Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al Qirbi on Saturday, Mottaki appreciated the prudent measures taken by Yemeni government to resolve civil clashes.
 

Qirbi also thanked Iran for the stance it adopted toward certain events in the past.
 

Jordan supports Iran’s right to nuclear technology
 

Mottaki also held a meeting with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh on Saturday in which Judeh stated that Jordan recognizes and supports Iran’s right to nuclear technology meant for peaceful purposes.
 

Judeh also said that the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program can only be resolved through political channels and negotiations.
 

He invited Mottaki to pay a visit to Jordan which was accepted by the Iranian foreign minister.
 

Mottak proposed the formation of a consulting political committee with the aim of increasing bilateral relations.
 

Moreover, in a Saturday’s meeting, the Iranian foreign minister and Bahraini Crown Prince Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa explored ways how to promote Tehran-Manama ties.

Jalili: 5+1 talks ground for further cooperation

ILNA: Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili welcomed talks with P5+1 but accused some of the countries involved of "terrorism" against the Islamic state’s atomic program

 Their pressure strategy has not only been inefficient, costly, and useless, it has also led to a big scandal - a scandal serving terrorism.

"We see negotiations as a ground for further interaction and cooperation." But he insisted Iran would not negotiate away its nuclear "rights" code language for its uranium enrichment work -- and urged an end to the powers’ "two-track" approach of imposing sanctions while seeking a negotiated solution.

"The fact that the P5+1 have come to the conclusion that it should come to the talks, we welcome this fact. However, this is not enough," he said.

"In order for talks to continue, the wrong strategy of the past must be set aside and the talks should continue. Adopting a double standard will not do."

During this period, the negotiating party [5+1] adopting a wrong strategy called pressure [strategy] has taken a path whose futile and costly nature is now more evident than before.

We, however, welcome talks now that the negotiating party [5+1] has realized its strategy is doomed to fail but it is not enough for moving on this path.

They [5+1] have to put aside their previous wrong strategy and double standards if they seek the continuation of talks.

As we Iran did not negotiate our people’s rights during the first and second rounds of talks in Geneva, we once again underline that the Iranian nation’s rights must be preserved and are not negotiable.

Defiant Iran meets EU in new nuclear talks

AFP--Iran and the EU will hold talks in Geneva on Monday, as Tehran sought to renew contact with world powers after a 14 month break and calm its neighbours even though it held firm on its nuclear program.

Iran’s chief negotiator Saeed Jalili will meet the European Union’s top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, over two days in an undisclosed location in the western Swiss city, the Swiss foreign ministry confirmed.

The EU will represent the "E3+3", UN Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany, it added, the same group of nations that last held direct talks on Iran’s controversial nuclear program in October 2009.

An EU source said: "This is an important meeting. We’ve waited a long time for it."

"It is not important because it will produce instant results but important because we hope it will produce a re-engagement with Iran which we hope will over time produce results," added the source.

On Saturday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said western powers should "stop being hostile".

"We have said many times that we will not negotiate the inalienable rights of the Iranian nation with anyone, but if they want to talk about co-operation, then we are ready," he was quoted as saying on state television’s website.

Iran insists that it is entitled to enrich uranium for energy and has vowed to continue the work, despite repeated ultimatums from the UN Security Council to halt enrichment because of fears Tehran secretly wants nuclear weapons. Continued…