Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 26 / Trend D.Khatinoglu/
IAEA head Yukiya Amano is influenced by the United States, France and Britain and maintains a biased stance toward Iran's nuclear program, Iranian Deputy Parliamentary Security Commission Chairman Ismail Kovseri told Trend.
On Jan. 25, Amano said in an interview with the Associated Press that there is no guarantee that Iran is not trying to secretly produce nuclear weapons. Amano said cooperation between Iran and the IAEA is not sufficient and there is no certainty that Iran has explained their activities in the nuclear sphere to the IAEA.
"Thus, we are not sure of the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program," Amano said.
The next round of talks on Iran's nuclear program between the "Six" international mediators (the five permanent U.N. Security Council members - the United States, China, Russia, France, Britain, plus Germany) and Iran ended on Saturday in Istanbul.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton said Iran and the Six world powers have completed talks in Istanbul without any significant progress.
"We had hoped to start a discussion about practical ways forward. I am disappointed to report that it was impossible," Ashton said at a press conference following the talks.
Iran insists on continuing negotiations, recognizing the legitimacy of Iran's nuclear program and the need to lift international sanctions.
However, Ashton requires Iran to hold negotiations without preconditions.
Kovseri said the West must hold talks on the basis of a fair position. The sanctions against Iran should be lifted, and acknowledging the legitimacy of Iran's nuclear program would not interfere in the negotiations, he added.
"The West must change its position, resign to reality and take a fair position. The West has always promoted the use of violence, but it must change this approach," Kovseri said.
He said the Six and the Iranian leadership did not permit the Iranian delegation to discuss the nuclear program at the talks in Istanbul.
Iran cannot always agree with the requirements of the West, Kovseri said.
"We also have our own interests, and retreating from them means accepting defeat before the West," Kovseri said.
The United States and other Western countries accuse Iran of developing nuclear weapons for military purposes under the guise of a peaceful nuclear energy program. Tehran denies the charges, saying its nuclear program is aimed solely at meeting the country's electricity needs.
The U.N. Security Council has adopted six resolutions in connection with the suspension of Iran's nuclear program. Four involve the use of economic sanctions on Iran.
In June 2010 the U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 1929, enacting new sanctions against Iran over its refusal to stop enriching uranium. Later, the U.S. Congress and foreign ministers of all EU countries approved the imposing additional unilateral sanctions, aimed mainly against the energy, banking and financial sectors of Iran.
Amano has criticized Iran for impeding the IAEA inspectors from freely holding inspections of Iran's nuclear projects and banning the organization's inspectors from entering the country.
Iran has invited representatives of foreign countries (except the United States, Britain, Germany and France) on Jan.15 to visit a uranium enrichment plant in Natanz and a heavy water research reactor in Arak. Despite the denial by Russia, China and Europe, five representatives from different countries visited the plant. However, Iran has announced that the representatives of 120 countries visited the facilities and that after examining them, they confirmed the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program.
The EU believes that inspecting nuclear facilities is the business of the IAEA and Iran should create the necessary conditions for open inspections at its nuclear facilities for IAEA inspectors as opposed to for the representatives of foreign countries.
Kovseri said all of the invited countries and Amano should respond to this invitation positively.
"The Iranian invitation was a big opportunity missed by the West," Kovseri said.