Iran speaker warns West to build confidence over nuclear issue

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Iran speaker warns West to build confidence over nuclear issue

(Xinhua) 08:11, October 21, 2013

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TEHRAN, Oct. 20 -- Iran's Majlis (parliament) Speaker Ali Larijani warned on Sunday that if the West fails to build confidence pertaining to Iran's nuclear issue, his country will further diversify its nuclear activities.

Larijani said Majlis would approve necessary legislation on diversifying Iran's nuclear activities if it sees the West follows a double-standard approach and unjustified behavior, according to Press TV.

He cautioned the West against mounting pressure on Tehran during the nuclear talks, said the report.

Earlier on the day, Iran's nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi said that confidence-building by the West means the ease of sanctions against the Islamic republic.

On Sunday, Larijani stated that Iran is committed to its international commitments and no other obligations should be imposed on the country. "Iran is a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA) and has also joined the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty). No specific regulations should be formulated for Iran in this regard, " he was quoted as saying.

The comments of Iran's Majlis speaker came as the Iranian negotiating team voiced cautiously in the recent Geneva nuclear talks that the Islamic republic might include the "additional protocol" in its nuclear proposal, as a confidence-building step, in case the advancement is witnessed in the talks.

The additional protocol to the NPT mandates Iran to open its nuclear site to snap visits by the UN inspectors and urges the country to report any activities related to its nuclear program.

Also, Araqchi said that "the heavy burden of confidence- building is currently on the shoulders of the U.S. government," official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday.

"We consider the U.S. policies suspiciously and pessimistically, " Araqchi said, adding that the United States has to make its outmost efforts "to win the trust of the Iranian nation who has no confidence in that country."

Araqchi once again pointed to what he called the destructive attempts in the course of the nuclear talks, saying that "the Zionists (Israelis) are trying to damage the existing atmosphere and hinder progress in the talks by circulating misinformation and producing false speculations." Araqchi said.

However, the Iranian diplomats are hopeful about the talks, he noted. "A diplomat should have hope. Without hope no talks will continue," he was quoted as saying by IRNA.

The Israeli government has expressed its skepticism about Iran' s move to settle its problem with the powers over its nuclear program, which the West deems to be aiming at creating nuclear weapons.

Iran and the P5+1 countries -- the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany -- held a fresh round of talks in Geneva earlier this week and agreed to meet again in Geneva on Nov. 7-8.