Senior Lawmaker Sees Positive Trend for Iran-Powers Talks in Baghdad

The second round of the talks between Iran and the six world powers in Baghdad next month will continue moving on the positive path initiated in Istanbul last Saturday, a prominent Iranian lawmaker predicted, but meantime cautioned the western powers to avoid moves which could damage this trend.

“I believe that the Baghdad talks will be the continuation of the same status that existed in the Istanbul talks, but until then we should not witness any negative move (by the West),” Rapporteur of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Kazzem Jalali told FNA on Saturday.

“I think the Baghdad talks will be positive, too,” Jalali reiterated.

Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) resumed negotiations in Istanbul on April 14 after a year and are due to continue their talks in Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad, on May 23.

Tehran’s chief negotiator Saeed Jalili headed the Iranian side, and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton led the delegations of the world powers.

Both Jalili and Ashton voiced satisfaction with the Istanbul talks.

But meantime, the Iranian lawmaker cautioned that the Iranian people mistrust the West, and said, “As far as the talks are concerned, the westerners should win the Iranian nation’s trust, because the Iranian public opinion mistrusts a number of western countries’ policies.”

“I think the westerners should compensate for their past so that the talks can revive their (correct) path,” Jalali underscored.

Iran’s chief negotiator said after two rounds of fruitful talks with the six world powers that withdrawing sanctions against Iran should be a focal point in any future talks on cooperation between Iran and the world powers.

“It is of crucial importance that our (future) cooperation will entail reciprocal steps, that is, our nation’s trust should be built in the trend of talks and cooperation,” Jalili told reporters at a press conference after the second meeting with the representatives of the G5+1 in Istanbul.

He said the Iranian nation is only demanding “the very same rights enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)”, and reiterated, “Iran, as an active member of the NPT, should enjoy its rights alongside its undertakings.”

“We deeply believe that removal of sanctions, which is demanded by the Iranian nation, is one of the issues which should receive attention in the trend of talks on cooperation,” the Iranian top negotiator underscored.

Asked to express his view about the two rounds of talks with the world powers, Jalili said, “What we observed in the approach stated by the (Group 5+1) members today was an approach towards talks and cooperation and we consider this to be positive.”

“We have always stated that pressure and the language of threat is useless in dealing with the Iranian nation, but talks and cooperation can be a positive approach,” he added.