Iran wants Iraq conference to be held in Baghdad
No decision has been made about holding talks with the United States on the sidelines of the Iraq conference and the issue “is not yet on the agenda”, Hosseini told reporters at his weekly press briefing.
The security conference, which is currently scheduled to be held in Egypt, is meant to find a way to end the daily bloodshed in Iraq.
No negotiations on Iran’s inalienable rights: Hosseini
There will be no negotiations on Iran’s inalienable rights, Hosseini insisted.
Talks should be meaningful, and “we will not negotiate on the Iranian nation’s inalienable rights,” he said.
“However, Iran’s non-deviation from civilian nuclear activities in the future and the possible concerns of the other side” of the talks can be negotiated, he added.
On the reduction of Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Hosseini stated that part of Tehran’s cooperation would remain halted until Iran’s nuclear dossier is returned to the IAEA from the UN Security Council, as was previously announced by government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham.
Issue of detained British troops not related to other cases
Asked why Tehran did not use the group of detained British sailors and marines as a bargaining chip to obtain the release of the five Iranians detained by U.S. forces in Iraq, Hosseini said, “We have never connected the case with other issues, and we do not consider it appropriate to relate events to one another.”
On Wednesday Iran freed the 15 British marines and sailors who were arrested by Iranian armed forces after they illegally entered Iran’s territorial waters in the northern Persian Gulf on March 23.
U.S. troops stormed the Iranian consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil on January 11 and arrested five diplomats.
“Jalal Sharafi’s release was not related to the case of the British military personnel,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman explained.
The second secretary at the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, Jalal Sharafi, who was kidnapped in Baghdad on February 4, was freed and returned to Iran on Tuesday. Commenting on the reports that Pope Benedict XVI had written a letter to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei asking for the release of the 15 Britons, he said, “There has been no confirmed report and I don’t think such a letter was sent.”
Asked whether Britain had sent a letter of apology to Iran, Hosseini said a letter was sent to Iran through diplomatic channels stating that the British troops had no hostile intentions, that they would avoid any repetition of such acts, and that they would study the mechanisms necessary to prevent similar incidents.
No British delegation was sent to Iran to resolve the issue, he added.
French academic not under arrest
On the case of the French academic whose passport was confiscated by Iranian authorities after he took photographs in a sensitive border province, Hosseini said he has not been placed under arrest, but he committed acts contrary to the stated purpose of his trip.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman expressed hope that the problem would be resolved soon.
Iran searching for missing FBI agent
Commenting on the former FBI agent who went missing in Iran last month, Hosseini said relevant organizations have been searching for the man.
Iran has been in contact with the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which houses the U.S. Interests Section, but still needs more details about the case, he added.
Robert Levinson, a U.S. citizen who retired from the FBI in 1998, was last seen March 11 on the Iranian resort island of Kish, where he was said to be working on a film.