Geneva / Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed Monday that its officials will be in Switzerland Thursday 1 October for a six-party meeting “to discuss ways to end a standoff between the two sides,” according to the official Fars news agency. The Swiss government last week announced that it had accepted a request from Iran and the European Union to host a second meeting between EU High Representative, Javier Solana, and the Iranian chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili. Solana represents the world’s major powers in the talks over Iran’s nuclear plans: Germany, France, the UK, China, Russia and the US. The first meeting took place in July 2008 in Geneva. But Iran today said the meeting might take place in Geneva, as the Swiss government announced, or they might agree to meet in Bern, instead.
According to Fars: “Iran is under three rounds of UN Security Council sanctions for turning down West’s illegitimate calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment, saying the western demand is politically tainted and illogical. Tehran has repeatedly stressed that it considers its nuclear case closed after it answered the UN agency’s questions about the history of its nuclear programe.”
Iran tests long-range missiles during two days of tests
Iran drew heavy attention from around the world Monday for testing long range missiles (2,000 km) that can reach Israel and US military bases in the Middle East, with France and the UK promptly expressing their dismay but Russia urging calm.
Links to other sites: Aljazeera, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Sydney Morning Herald, Xinhua
and video, Russia Today
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News story, GenevaLunch, 28 September 2009.
Filed under: Politics
Tags: Bern, Geneva, Iran, long range, missiles, nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, six powers. 6-party talks, Switzerland