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Ex-Iran Negotiator: U.S. Missed Chance to Resolve Iran Nuclear Issue

IN THIS ISSUE: US "missed chance to resolve Iran nuclear issue," US and Israel split on speed of Iran threat, Markey to introduce bill to trim nuclear capability, Kazakhstan sees nuclear fuel bank in 2013, emails bare NRC's Fukushima chaos, S. Africa's ties to Iran.

Published on February 9, 2012
 

U.S. Missed Chance to Resolve Iran Nuclear Issue: Ex-Iran Negotiator

Masakatsu Ota | Kyodo News

Mousavian

A former top Iranian nuclear negotiator has revealed details of a proposal made by Russia last summer for resolving the Iranian nuclear issue, expressing strong dismay that the United States and key European nations rejected the proposal.

''I was really surprised that (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad and (Foreign Minister Ali Akbar) Salehi said they are positive and ready for discussing details'' of the proposal, S. Hossein Mousavian said in a recent interview with Kyodo News. He said he was ''shocked to know that P5-plus-one rejected it,'' referring to the framework of the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany that is engaged in diplomatic efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue.

''The Russian proposal was a golden opportunity to prevent future confrontation or military strike. I am now compelled to (suspect) that the ultimate goal of P5-plus-one is regime change of Iran,'' added Mousavian, who served as Iranian ambassador to Germany in the 1990s.

Editor's note : This article contains, to our knowledge at least, the first detailed description of Russia's step-by-step proposal in the public domain. Full Article



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