U.S. to study 'carefully' Iran's offer for talks with world powers
The United States will study 'seriously and carefully' Tehran's proposal to resume talks within the framework of Iran Six mediators, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday.
Earlier on Wednesday Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki presented the package of Iran's proposal for talks on "global issues" to ambassadors from China, France, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, which represents the United States, and Britain, at a ceremony attended by journalists.
"We have received a proposal... We're now reviewing it seriously and carefully. We plan to confer with our partners in the P-5+1 group. And I expect that we'll have more to say about it in the coming days," Ian Kelly said at a daily press briefing.
Iran Six is a group of international mediators comprising the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany.
Kelly added that Iran is still have to decide whether it wants to continue with its controversial nuclear program and be isolated from the world or chooses to be reintegrated into the international community.
"They have a stark choice: They can continue down this path of isolation from the international community, or they can choose to reintegrate with the international community. And that choice is out there for them, and we look forward to learning their choice," Kelly said.
U.S. President Barack Obama said in July that Tehran must respond to the six international negotiators' proposal to halt nuclear activities in exchange for trade incentives by the end of September. France and Germany said they would seek harsher sanctions for the Islamic Republic if it turned down the offer.
Iran has been under pressure to halt uranium enrichment, needed both for electricity generation and weapons production. Tehran has repeatedly rejected the demand, insisting it is pursuing a purely civilian program.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday he was prepared to discuss international issues with Obama, but ruled out negotiations on the disputed nuclear program, saying the discussion was "finished," that he would not debate Tehran's legitimate rights.
