U.S., Iran meet behind the scenes on nukes

WASHINGTON, April 14 (UPI) -- The United States and Iran have been conducting behind-the-scenes discussions for five years on Iran's nuclear program, a former U.S. diplomat said.

Retired U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Thomas Pickering, one of the participants in the talks, said former U.S. diplomats and experts had met with Iranian academics and policy advisers "in a lot of different places, although not in the U.S. or Iran," The Independent reported Monday.

"Some of the Iranians were connected to official institutions inside Iran," Pickering told the British newspaper in a telephone interview.

Pickering said the group, which has no members from the U.S. or Iranian governments, also discussed "what's going on domestically in both countries and wide-ranging issues" affecting U.S.-Iran relations.

The group recently offered an initiative that addresses Iran's right to enrich uranium within its borders while guaranteeing that nuclear fuel won't be used for military purposes.

Pickering said reaction has been "rather positive" to the plan.