The six countries that used to engage in Iran nuclear talks on Thursday called on Iran to enter fresh dialogues "without preconditions."
The six countries -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- made the call in a joint statement at a board meeting of the 35-member International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"We call on Iran to enter, without preconditions, into a sustained process of serious dialogue, which will produce concrete results," the statement said.
The statement also urged Iran to allow UN inspectors to visit the Parchin site, a military installation suspected to house the country's disputed uranium enrichment program.
In discussions leading up to the joint statement, Western powers took a tougher stance toward Iran, while China and Russia sought a milder statement which they believed would help foster a constructive atmosphere for talks, analysts said.
"We reaffirm our continuing support for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue and readiness to restart dialogue with Iran," Cheng Jingye, China's ambassador to the IAEA, said on behalf of the group.
We hope to see the six countries and Iran start a process of sustained dialogue at an early date, build up mutual trust based on the principle of step by step and reciprocity and search for a comprehensive and long-term proper solution to the Iranian nuclear issue," he said.
Talks between Iran and the six countries have stalled in recent years, partially due to Iran's refusal to grant UN access to its alleged nuclear sites, including Parchin. IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said he was "disappointed."
Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, told the board meeting that access to Parchin, which Iran insists is non-nuclear, can be granted when Iranian officials and the IAEA can agree on the preconditions of such a visit.
However, the United States said UN visits to Iranian nuclear sites should not become an issue upholding international nuclear talks.
"There's not an expectation that that (the visit to Parchin) has to happen before talks start, although it should have already happened," Victoria Nuland, spokeswoman of the U.S. State Department, said after the statement was released.
Meanwhile, Iran appealed to the IAEA that the continuous threat Israel had made against its nuclear facilities are in violation of the UN Charter and an IAEA resolution.
"Resolution 533 in 1990 considers any attack or threat of attack against nuclear institutions or facilities as violation of the UN Charter, statute of the IAEA and international law," Soltanieh said.
"It's regrettable that the UN Security Council has no action on the base of this resolution and the IAEA has not done its responsibility appropriately to it," he said.
The complaints were targeted at Israel's recent threats to take military action if Iran does not cease its alleged nuclear weapon bid.
In a visit to Washington earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to persuade the United States to support Israel's plan to launch a strike on Iran.
Though the United States was reluctant to be drawn into war especially in its election year, Israel has vowed to stop Iran's nuclear program, which it saw as a prominent threat to its national security, at all costs.
"As prime minister of Israel, I will never allow my people to live in the shadow of annihilation," Netanyahu said.
(VietNamNet/Xinhuanet)
