Iranian top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili expressed on Wednesday his wish for a dialogue to create groundwork for cooperation between Iran and the European Union.
Addressing the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, Jalili, who is Iran's Secretary of Supreme National Security Council, said he hoped to launch "a dialogue that can create the groundwork for cooperation" between the 27-nation European bloc and Iran.
He said labeling the year 2008 as a year of "Dialogue among Civilizations" was aimed to bring peace and tranquillity and remove tyranny and injustice throughout the globe.
"We have based our relations with the world countries on human rights and justice, cutting ties with the then apartheid regime, supported the oppressed Afghan people who were under attack of the former Soviet Union, rendering spiritual supports for Palestinian nation in the face of the atrocities of the Zionists occupiers," he told the MEPs.
"We strongly condemn brutal crimes in the world," he added.
On current challenges between Iran and Europe, Jalili said, "We believe that there are common interests between the two sides which should be taken into account."
Jalili listed four components on which cooperation between Iran and Europe could be based: democracy, security, energy and Iran's capability in the field of human resources.
He said Iran was the only country in the region which had a democratic parliamentary system.
Jalili thanked the European institutions for their condemnation of the crimes and atrocities of the "Zionist regime" against the Palestinians, calling for the EU and international community to take immediate action against the "inhumane acts" of Israel in the Gaza Strip.
On the Iranian nuclear issue, he said "nuclear weapons have no place," adding that Iran's membership of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the International Atomic Energy Agency gave it "some rights that stem from our obligations."
Jalili also said that he and EU top diplomat Javier Solana "arranged a meeting for tonight " to discuss Iran's nuclear program.
But so far there was no confirmation of the meeting from Solana's office.
The two men had met several times on the Iranian nuclear issue before November 2007, as Solana tried to persuade Tehran to halt its uranium enrichment.
Solana expressed his disappointment at their negotiations after their last meeting in London at the end of November.
The U.N. Security Council is mulling over new sanctions against Iran for not suspending enrichment activities.
Source:Xinhua
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