LOC19:23
16:23 GMT
WASHINGTON, May 23 (KUNA) -- The fact that the negotiations with Iran in
Baghdad over the Iranian nuclear program are taking place as a continuance of
the initial round is a "sign of progress," White House press secretary Jay
Carney said on Wednesday.
"The initial round was important because the Iranians focused on their
nuclear program, and that will continue to be the case, we hope," Carney said
during a briefing with reporters traveling on Air Force One en route to
Colorado Springs, Colorado, where President Barack Obama was scheduled to
speak at the U.S. Air Force Academy. "I do not have any readout of today's
meetings, but I can say that we want to see this effort succeed."
Any process has to have as part of it reciprocal actions, and Iran must
demonstrate it is serious about moving forward with addressing the concerns of
the international community, Carney said.
"The fact that there are positive steps forward is absolutely worth noting,
but we judge Iran by its actions, not by its promises," he said. "And so we
will continue to press forward with our allies and partners with the
unprecedented sanctions regime as we, on a separate track, work with our
P-Five-plus-One (Permanent Five members of the UN Security Council plus
Germany) partners to pursue an effort to resolve this conflict diplomatically."
Carney said U.S. officials would know more by the end of the day about
whether the talks will continue for several more days.
Asked about the choice of Baghdad as the venue for the talks, Carney said,
"We certainly feel very comfortable with Baghdad as a location. I think it
does say something about where Iraq has arrived, and that is certainly
important. But beyond that, our focus is not on the location or the symbolism,
but on the content of the negotiations." (end)
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