MOSCOW, September 14 (RIA Novosti) - Talks on Iran's controversial nuclear program between Tehran and six world powers will resume on October 1, Iran's INSA news agency said on Monday.
According to the agency, the date was agreed during a telephone conversation between Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Solana's press secretary Christina Gallach confirmed on Monday the resumption of the talks involving international mediators from the Iran Six, which comprises the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany.
Iran presented a new package of proposals to the Iran Six on September 9, offering international discussions on a variety of global issues including security and nuclear disarmament.
However, the "nuclear package" did not mention Iran's uranium enrichment program, and Iranian officials later made clear that it will not be part of any future talks with the West.
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.
Western powers seek harsher sanctions against the Islamic Republic if it does not agree to halt uranium enrichment. Russia and China, however, insist on diplomatic steps, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Ekho Moskvy radio on Thursday that Iran's proposal included worthwhile elements and could be worked with.
Meanwhile, Mohamed ElBaradei, outgoing director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), reiterated on Monday his call on the Islamic Republic to clarify all outstanding issues in the dispute over its nuclear program and implement the provisions of the Additional Protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
