Iran accepts Clinton non-deadline on nuclear talks

[February 04, 2010]  TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran said Tuesday it welcomes Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's comments that there is no hard-and-fast deadline for starting nuclear dialogue.

On Monday, Clinton said the Obama administration remained open to negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program, though it will move toward tougher sanctions if Iran does not respond positively. She stressed there was no hard-and-fast deadline for Iran.

Responding Tuesday, Iran's foreign ministry welcomed the comments

"We share the same idea with her. Deadlines are meaningless. We hope other countries return to their natural path, too," said Ramin Mehmanparast, a foreign ministry spokesman.

The remarks were a rare positive response by the Iranians to U.S. comments on its nuclear program.

The U.S. and other Western allies accuse Iran of working to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charge and says its program is for peaceful purposes.

The West is primarily concerned about high levels of uranium enrichment, which can be used to make an atomic bomb. At lower levels, enriched uranium is used in the production of fuel for nuclear power plants.

Iran has dismissed an end-of-2009 deadline imposed by the Obama administration and its international partners to accept a U.N.-drafted deal to swap most of its enriched uranium for nuclear fuel. The deal would reduce Iran's stockpile of low-enriched uranium, limiting, at least temporarily, its capability to make nuclear weapons.

In her comments Monday, Clinton also said the administration was appalled by the Iranian government's crackdowns on street protests -- which she described as "mounting signs of ruthless repression."

At least eight people died in clashes between security forces and opposition supporters across Iran late last month, including a nephew of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. It was the worst bloodshed since the height of the unrest immediately after the contested June re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Mehmanparast rejected these Clinton remarks.

"Westerners are following those who do not represent the Iranian people," he said. "A mistake that some western countries commit is that they, with political intentions, are after those who support chaos and outrages."

Iran regularly accuses western countries -- mostly the United States and Britain -- of supporting unrest in Tehran.

On Sunday the country's intelligence minister said several foreign nationals were among those detained during last month's clashes.

Mehmanparast did not elaborate on the nationality of the foreign detainees and said their issue would be investigated by authorities.

"If it is confirmed that they did not have any intention in the event, they will be released," he said.

Iran also released a list of 62 international organizations it said were planning a "soft revolution" by supporting the opposition in Iran.

The intelligence ministry list includes George Soros' Open Society Institute, the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy, the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute, the Brookings Institution and U.S. National Defense University.

The list also includes TV networks like BBC Persian and Voice of America in Farsi as well as the East European Democratic Center in Poland and the British nonprofit Wilton Park.

Intelligence ministry said any link with the organizations would be "illegal."

Also Tuesday, Iran's state radio said the country's parliament rejected a request by U.S. Senator John Kerry to visit Iran.

[Associated Press; By NASSER KARIMI]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.