Iran’s Missile Program Legitimate, Defensive, Not To Be Part of Nuclear Talks
Former US Deputy Secretary of Defense General Robert G. Gard has described Iran missile program as defensive and legitimate stressing that it should not be discussed during Tehran‘s nuclear talks with the Group 5+1.
Speaking exclusively to IRNA, Gard underlined that any attempt to raise the issue of Iran‘s missile power in the nuclear negotiations between Tehran and the P5 +1 would be a huge mistake.
Gard, who is the Chairman of the Board at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington, expressed that the latest (expert) negotiations between Iran and the six powers (US, Britain, Russia, France and China plus Germany) was very vital.
Latest round of talks between experts from Iran and the Group 5+1 member states was held in New York on May 6-7 on the sidelines of the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
The expert-level talks were co-presided by head of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team Hamid Baeidinejad, who is director general for political and international security affairs at Iran’s Foreign Ministry, and Stephen Clement, an aide to the European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
Gard urged the international community to discuss the issue of the Zionist regime‘s nuclear and military capabilities as well as the issue of creating a Middle East free from nuclear weapons.
Nothing to happen if Iran, West fail to reach agreement by July 20, says US expert
Meanwhile, Speaking to IRNA the former US Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Robert Hunter has said nothing will happen, if Iran and the West fail to reach an agreement by July 20 but the talks must continue.
Hunter welcomed the latest progress made in the nuclear talks between Iran and the 5+1.
He believed that the future of the talks is promising.
Latest round of talks between experts from Iran and the Group 5+1 member states was held in New York on May 6-7 on the sidelines of the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
The expert-level talks were co-presided by head of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team Hamid Baeidinejad, who is director general for political and international security affairs at Iran’s Foreign Ministry, and Stephen Clement, an aide to the European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
Commenting on the outcome of the expert talks, Hunter said the achievements of the talks can be regarded as big steps towards development of a final solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.
Although Iranˈs nuclear issue is very importan from technical aspects, the significance of its political aspects are higher anyway, said the former diplomat.
He believed success of the New York meeting will prepare the grounds to have a successful talks in Vienna.
Hunter further noted that it was not useful to set a deadline for reaching a nuclear agreement but rather, he said, the focus should be on diplomatic efforts to reduce disagreements.
R.S