Clinton: U.S. to join direct talks with Iran on nuclear program

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that the United States would be a "full participant" in talks by major powers with Iran over its nuclear program.
"Obviously we believe that pursuing very careful engagement on a range of issues that affect our interests and the interests of the world with Iran makes sense. There is nothing more important than trying to convince Iran to cease its efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon," Clinton told reporters.Clinton's statements mark another significant shift from former U.S. President George W. Bush's policy toward a nation he labeled a member of the Axis of Evil.The State Department said the U.S. would be at the table from now on when senior diplomats from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany meet with Iranian officials to discuss the nuclear issue.The Bush administration had generally shunned such meetings, although it attended one last year.U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the decision to engage Iran was conveyed to representatives of Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia by the third-ranking U.S. diplomat William Burns at a Wednesday meeting in London.That group, known as the P5+1, announced earlier that it would invite Iran to attend a new session aimed at breaking a deadlock in the talks.
"The U.S. remains committed to the P5+1 process; what is different is that the U.S. will join P5+1 discussions with Iran from now on," Wood said, adding that Washington was hopeful Iran would attend."If Iran accepts, we hope this will be the occasion to seriously engage Iran on how to break the logjam of recent years and work in a cooperative manner to resolve the outstanding international concerns about its nuclear program," he said. Any breakthrough will be the result of the collective efforts of all the parties, including Iran.Wood said the administration wants a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear issue and believes that requires a willingness to engage directly with each other on the basis of mutual respect and mutual interests."We hope that the government of Iran chooses to reciprocate," he added.
The invitation is to be sent to the Iranians by European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana. In a statement the group said it welcomed the new direction of U.S. policy toward Iran. No time frame was given for a date of the meeting.
Prior to word from State, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's hard-line president, said that his country welcomes talks with the United States should it prove to be honest in extending its hand toward Iran, one of the strongest signals yet that Tehran welcomes Obama's calls for dialogue."The Iranian nation welcomes a hand extended to it should it really and truly be based on honesty, justice and respect," Ahmadinejad said in a speech broadcast live on state television.Ahmadinejad is expected to announce Iran has mastered the final stage of nuclear fuel production when the country celebrates its National Nuclear Day on Thursday."I will have good nuclear news for the respectful Iranian nation tomorrow (April 9)," Amadinejad said on Wednesday in a televised speech at the central city of Isfahan.Analysts expect he will announce that Iran has completed the long process of uranium enrichment, enabling the country to produce its own fuel.