Iran's UN envoy to lead US talks on Iraq - Iranian state TV |
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Tue, 22 May 2007 13:57
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TEHRAN (Thomson Financial) - Iran's outgoing envoy to the United Nations, Javad Zarif, is to represent Tehran in talks with Washington next week over Iraq's security, state television said.The Iranian envoy is set to meet US ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker in Baghdad on May 28 for the highest-level official bilateral encounter between the two arch-foes in three decades.'Iran's envoy to the United Nations Javad Zarif will represent Iran in the talks with the United States in Iraq,' state television said on its rolling newsbar.The United States has already said its delegation would be headed by Crocker, but there was no immediate confirmation of Zarif from the Iranian foreign ministry which said the decision had yet to be taken.'It has not been finalised yet,' foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told AFP, without giving further details.Both sides have said the May 28 talks would be limited to the crisis in Iraq and that Iran's disputed nuclear programme will not be discussed.The United States accuses Iran of seeking nuclear weapons and wants Tehran to freeze sensitive uranium enrichment operations immediately. Iran says its atomic drive is peaceful and that it has every right to the full fuel cycle.Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last week that Iran would merely use the talks with US diplomats over Iraq to remind Washington of its 'occupiers' duty' in the conflict-torn country.tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomson.comafp/vs/gpCOPYRIGHTCopyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.
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US, Iran to hold meeting on Iraq 