The Hindu : National : India welcomes U.S. offer to join E.U.-Iran talks

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 02, 2006

National

National

India welcomes U.S. offer to join E.U.-Iran talks

Diplomatic Correspondent

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday welcomed the American offer to engage directly with Iran on its nuclear programme.

The sentiments expressedby Washington are seen as significant since the United States and Iran do not have diplomatic relations.

In a statement here, the External Affairs Ministry spokesman said, "India has all along advocated that issues relating to Iran's nuclear programme ought to be resolved through dialogue and that confrontation should be avoided.

"Against this background, the readiness of the U.S. to join in the dialogue between E.U.-3 [European Union three] and Iran, which India has all along supported, is to be welcomed," he stated.

"We believe that with all sides displaying flexibility and adopting a constructive and forward-looking approach, the ongoing diplomatic efforts should reach a successful conclusion."

India has twice voted with the U.S. and other Western nations at the International Atomic Energy Agency to refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council.

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