VIENNA, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- An Iranian official pledged a "new approach" to the long-stalled talks over his nation's controversial uranium enrichment activity, diplomats said Monday.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi made the pledge at the outset of a two-day summit in Vienna with representatives from six nations dubbed the P5-plus-one -- the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council (the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China) plus Germany. The meeting is taking place as signs of progress were noted at a similar sit-down several weeks ago.
The pledge was met by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency with a call for "concrete progress" to resolve the long-simmering issue of Iran's nuclear ambitions, Voice of America reported.
Iranian officials steadfastly deny their uranium enrichment is meant to develop a nuclear weapon, as the United States and other Western nations fear. FARS News Agency reported Araqchi maintained prior to the meeting Iran's enrichment is to feed nuclear material to a light water reactor being built in the southwestern town of Darkhoveyn and a nuclear power plant under construction in the southern town of Bushehr.
"It is time to take a new approach to resolve questions between Iran and the IAEA and look to the future for further cooperation in order to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program, which is peaceful and will remain peaceful forever," he said. "And we hope that the agency can play a very constructive role to ensure that the world will remain peaceful."
The international community has not shown much trust in oil-rich Tehran's explanation for its nuclear activity and has enacted tough economic sanctions with the goal of forcing Tehran out of the nuclear game.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said Iran, which recently elected a moderate, Hasan Rouhani, president, must begin to make real concessions to resolve the standoff.
"Today's meeting is a very important opportunity for us to discuss ways forward to address all the outstanding issues regarding Iran's nuclear program," he said. "These are longstanding and complicated issues. It is very important for all of us that we can show concrete progress."
