TEHRAN, Iran – Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that further nuclear discussions with the world powers would one day produce a positive outcome, a day after the latest round of talks in Istanbul failed.
After two days of discussions with the five members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany in Istanbul, Iran refused to abandon its uranium enrichment program which many in world feel is geared towards producing material for a weapon, a charge Iran denies.
"The ground is prepared now so that if the other party is just, a positive agreement will be concluded in later sessions," he said in a speech broadcast live on state TV.
Ahmadinejad said it would take more than just a few rounds of talks to settle all the issues.
"We never expected the problems to be solved in two to three or four to five rounds, but if the other party is decisive, committed to justice and the law and respect, there is a hope that good results will come from further rounds of the talks," he said.
The remarks are the president's first following the Istanbul talks Friday and Saturday, which failed after Iran declared it would not even consider freezing uranium enrichment, the key concern of the discussions.
Throughout two days of hectic meetings, Iran pushed demands it must have known were unacceptable to the six — a lifting of sanctions and acceptance of its enrichment program before any further discussion of its nuclear activities.
Low-enriched uranium — at around 3.5 percent — can be used to fuel a reactor to generate electricity, which Iran says is the intention of its program. But if uranium is further enriched to around 90 percent purity, it can be used to develop a nuclear warhead.
Ahmadinejad appeared to be his latest demand for the recognition of Iran's nuclear program by the world powers.
He reiterated that Iran would resist any bullying policy and not back down on its nuclear drive.
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