The chairman of the Expediency Council praised the diplomatic skills of the foreign ministry diplomats engaged in nuclear talks with major powers which he said dissipated the wrong mentality of the West concerning Iran's alleged bellicosity and compelled them to sit down at the negotiation table through building up trust in the transparency and legitimacy of Iran's stance.
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani made the remarks in separate meetings with top-level officials of government organizations and lawmakers at the premises of the Expediency Council on Sunday, IRNA reported citing a statement by the public relations office of the council.
Endorsing the political persistence of the nuclear negotiating team over the past 18 months, which led to last week's milestone preliminary joint statement outlining the key parameters of a final nuclear deal, Rafsanjani denounced insistence of the West on repeating the allegation by "the enemies of the Islamic Republic" that Iran was heading toward developing a nuclear bomb and seeking nuclear science and technology for military applications. He said there is no room for such skepticism when the Leader has prohibited the production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons.
Describing the joint statement issued after eight days of marathon talks in the Swiss city of Laussane as "the beginning of a great job in a world that is yearning for peace," he said the parties to the negotiations need to avoid provocative rhetoric so that they will not provide opponents with pretexts to create obstacles for Iran and its international negotiating partners known as the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the US Security Council Plus Germany).
Wise Measure
"It was a very wise measure by the two sides to bring their words to the negotiation table," he said, adding that it is now up to the political intellectuals of the two sides to be careful not to let hardliners deceive people by spreading lies.
Expressing pleasure with the outcome of nuclear negotiations so far, Rafsanjani said in the course of the talks, the world came to recognize Iran's right to peaceful use of nuclear technology in such fields as agriculture, energy, and health and other civilian applications. "This was achieved through the nation's patience and resistance as well as the authorities' courage to take action."
Rafsanjani appreciated the Leader's support and guidelines, the adoption of rational policies on the part of the government, and the diligent and tireless efforts made by the negotiating team.
"Iran has come through one of the most technical and complicated international negotiations," he said, hoping that finalizing a deal over the next three months will result in constructive interaction between Iran and other countries to help enhance general welfare.
Referring to Iran's peaceful nuclear activities, Rafsanjani noted that from the very beginning, Iran was determined to make use of peaceful nuclear know-how to bring comfort to the lives of its citizens.
Historic Step
The chairman of the Expediency Council also said the termination of the UN Security Council's resolutions against Iran, as outlined in the initial accord, is a "historic step" toward success. "They imposed the heaviest economic sanctions against Iran which resulted in nothing but making them retreat and sit at the negotiating table," he stated.
"Indeed, our demand is that we have no limits in benefiting from the outcomes of peaceful nuclear activities and we hope the IAEA (the UN nuclear agency) will fulfill its obligations in this regard," he said.
Elsewhere, Rafsanjani highlighted the recent remarks by US President Barack Obama addressing the US Congress, in which he emphasized that the best option open to the West was to address Iran's nuclear issue through diplomacy.
