US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday that she is
ready to hold direct talks with Iran if Tehran suspends uranium
enrichment and reprocessing activities first.
"I am prepared to meet my counterpart or an Iranian
representative at any time if Iran will suspend its enrichment and
reprocessing activities. That should be a clear signal," Rice
said.
"They (Iranians) need to stop and then we can come to the table
and we can talk about how to move forward," Rice said.
Rice has made similar offers before and stressed that the United
States has no intention to have military confrontation with
Iran.
The United States has dispatched two aircraft carriers to the
Gulf region, fueling speculation that Washington will launch a war
with Iran, although the White House has said repeatedly it has no
plan to go to war with Iran.
The United States has accused Iran of secretly developing
nuclear weapons and of meddling in the internal affairs of Iraq.
Iran has denied the charges.
(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2007)
