( IRNA ) - The United Nations Secretary General Ban ki Moon said that Iran's rights to attain peaceful nuclear technology should be respected.
Ban made the remarks in a meeting with Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs Manouchehr Mottaki in Riyadh on the sidelines of the a summit of Arab heads of states.
The UN top official noted that holding discussions and using political and diplomatic ways to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program are the best choices in this respect.
Turning to the arrest of the UK marines in Iran's territorial waters, he added that "without any judgment, I calls for immediate settlement of the issue."
"Utilizing political means and media propaganda will not help resolve the issue," he noted.
On his part, Mottaki said that the major impediment to settlement of Iran's nuclear dispute is non-constructive behavior of other parties involved including the group 5+1 (the US, France, the UK, Russia and China plus Germany), which do not recognize Iran's legitimate right to acquire peaceful nuclear technology.
According to Mottaki, to settle the issue, a serious negotiation without any precondition can realize the Iranian people's nuclear rights and reduce current concerns of world powers about the country's civilian nuclear activities.
Mottaki noted that insistence on forcing Iran to suspend uranium enrichment is merely aimed at escaping from the issue and shows lack of determination, therefore, Iran considers it as illogical.
Pointing to the violation of Iran's territorial waters by British marines, he underlined that according to the reliable documents, the marines were in Iranian waters when they were arrested by coast guards on Friday.