Iran terms ongoing talks with Russia positive

Iran said on Sunday that the ongoing discussion between Iranian officials and a visiting Russian delegation over Moscow's nuclear proposal was positive.

"The talks have been positive, during which several plans are being discussed," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi told a weekly news conference.

The delegation headed by Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Valentin Sobolev arrived here on Thursday evening for talks with Iranian officials on a compromise proposal made by Moscow that the two sides establish a joint venture in Russia to enrich uranium for Iran.

Iran said that the proposal was negotiable on condition that Iran be allowed to enrich uranium on its territory.

Asefi said that Tehran would make judgment after the talks with Russia, adding that Iran's legal right to develop peaceful nuclear technology must be recognized.

Asefi also confirmed that Iran would implement its decision to resume nuclear fuel research on Monday and called on the European Union (EU) to avoid language of threat.

"Seals on Iran's nuclear research sites will be removed tomorrow," he said.

"Nuclear research should not be viewed as equal to the actual production, and our research will be under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," Asefi said.

Iran announced on Tuesday that it had informed the IAEA of the decision to resume nuclear fuel research, which had been suspended for nearly two and a half years, a move that the EU said on Saturday would jeopardize the nuclear negotiations.

The IAEA Director General Mohamed Elbaradei said on Tuesday that it was important for Tehran to keep suspension of all uranium enrichment related activities in order to build confidence for talks on its controversial nuclear ambition.

A group of IAEA inspectors arrived here on Friday to monitor resumption of nuclear research activities after the agency's dissuasion failed.

Hossein Entezami, spokesman of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said on Saturday that Iran was in close contact with the IAEA to prepare for the restart of nuclear research.

Iran and the EU trio of Britain, France and Germany are scheduled to hold a new round of talks on Jan. 18 about reviving the nuclear negotiations which broke off after Iran resumed uranium conversion, a precursor to uranium enrichment, last August.

The Russian proposal was aimed at breaking the deadlock between Iran's insistence on its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and the EU's demand that Tehran give up enrichment which could be used to make atom bombs.

Iran has rejected the U.S. charge that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons.

Source: Xinhua