Iran Issues Statement after Almaty Talks with World Powers
Iran’s top negotiator Saeed Jalili issued a statement at the end of four rounds of talks with the six world powers in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Saturday.
The following is the full text of the statement.
In the name of God
The Final Almaty statement by the Islamic Republic of Iran
4/6/13
I start by thanking the brotherly government and people of Kazakhstan for hosting the second round of Almaty talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the six countries.
Ten months ago in Moscow, the Islamic Republic of Iran tabled a comprehensive plan to help advance the talks.
The plan of action incorporates the revised proposal tabled by 5+1 in Almaty 1 round of talks as well as the recommendations of the technical meeting which was organized between Almaty 1 and 2.
Some of our specific initiatives in response to the points of view tabled by 5+1 were presented in the Almaty 1 meeting which has the capacity to help bring about a forward movement.
In the past two days substantive, extensive and comprehensive discussions, addressing the various dimensions off the plan of action tabled by the Iran took place and representatives of the six countries sought numerous clarifications and posed many questions about Iran’s proposed plan. In response, Iran provided extensive answers.
Of course there is some distance between the positions of the two sides. The Islamic Republic of Iran has announced on numerous occasions – stressing the rights of the Iranian people including the right to enrich and an end to behaviors which are a sign of enmity towards the people of Iran – based on these two points, the proposal was tabled to help us to proceed in a constructive fashion.
Representatives of the 5+1 group of countries tabled the points of view of their respective countries and announced that they will need to have a better evaluation of the new conditions which have arisen from Iran’s initiative. With this in mind it was decided that they will transmit the outcome of the talks to their respective capitals. It was also decided that Lady Ashton, after consulting the foreign ministers of the six countries, will call me to discuss how the process of talks will proceed.
We think that in this round of talks, some good negotiations were conducted, and now in consideration to our new proposals, it is now up to the 5+1 to demonstrate its willingness and sincerity to take proportionate confidence building steps.
Iran and the six world powers had 4 rounds of talks in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Friday and Saturday.
The Iranian team was led by Jalili, who is also the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), and the G5+1’s representatives were presided by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
The last round of the talks between Tehran and the six world powers was held in Almaty on February 26-27.
Also, experts from Iran and the G5+1 reviewed the two sides’ proposals in a meeting in Istanbul from March 17 to 18. The two sides’ experts outlined topics of the talks between the chief negotiators of Iran and the G5+1.
