Annan calls on U.S. to enter direct talks with Iran

Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan called on Thursday for a direct talk between the United States and Iran to help peacefully resolve the nuclear issues.

He made the suggestion in an interview on The NewsHour on U.S. public television stations. He said if Washington joined the negotiation table, it might be more forthcoming to satisfy the concerns of all of the stakeholders and the key players.

Annan said during the earlier negotiation between Iran and EU powers Britain, France and Germany, he had the impression the Iranians had been hesitant to fully engage because whatever they discussed with the Europeans had to be checked with the United States.

Annan has long been pushing for a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear issues. He said the Iranians could soon find themselves in a difficult situation after assuring the world they were not seeking nuclear weapons.

If Iran were allowed to pursue nuclear energy for peaceful ends "and they resist that, how do they explain it to the world?" he asked.

Tehran, which insists its nuclear ambitions are for peaceful purposes and has rejected a UN call to halt uranium enrichment, said it had enriched uranium to a level close to the maximum compatible with civilian use in power stations.

The United States, backed by its EU powers Britain, France and Germany, fear Iran is on the path to building a nuclear arsenal under cover of developing atomic energy and wants to invoke Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, a passage that would open the way for sanctions and eventually even force as a way to freeze its activities.

Source: Xinhua