Iran welcomes new nuclear talks
January 4, 2013
Iran's top nuclear negotiators made the announcement during a visit to India on Friday.
"We have accepted that these talks should be held in January but, until now, the details have not been finalized," Saeed Jalili told reporters through a translator in New Delhi.
"We welcome their return to the talks. We hope that they will come to the talks with a constructive approach and (that) they will not repeat their past mistakes," he added, without further explanation.
The announcement comes more than a month after the so-called P5 + 1 powers, made up of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany, said that they were willing to re-open negotiations with Tehran.
The most recent talks were held in Moscow last June, but broke up without achieving any substantial progress.
Western powers fear Iran could be using its nuclear program as a front for efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran has repeatedly denied this, insisting that its nuclear program is for the peaceful production of power.
pfd/rc (Reuters, AFP)