“If the opposing side continues with a realistic atmosphere, the Islamic Republic of Iran will give a positive response to their move. Under such circumstances, there is hope that Baghdad talks will be a step forward,” Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said.
In a meeting with South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, the Iranian official asserted Iran's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
The remarks came ahead of upcoming talks between Iran and the P5+1 group - five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany- in Baghdad on May 23.
The first round of the latest negotiations ended in the Turkish city of Istanbul on April 14. Both sides hailed the talks as constructive.
Amir-Abdollahian, who heads a top diplomatic delegation, is on a trip to South Africa to submit an invitation by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his South African counterpart to take part in the upcoming meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) which is set to be convened in the Iranian capital, Tehran, in September.
The South African minister, for his part, said all countries, including Iran, have a legitimate right to use nuclear energy for peaceful aims.
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A senior Iranian diplomat says the Islamic Republic will give a positive response to the West if they adopt a realistic stance towards Iran’s nuclear energy program.
News ID 181810
