"Dr Jalili’s letter does not contain anything new and does not seem to justify a further meeting"

Although Iran welcomes talks with major world powers (P5+1), Foreign policy chief of the European Union (EU) Catherine Ashton refrains from holding multifaceted negotiations with Tehran.

Ashton pointed to a recent letter by Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili and said, “On its own, Dr Jalili's letter does not contain anything new and does not seem to justify a further meeting."

In his letter on Tuesday, the SNSC secretary welcomed talks with the P5+1 based on common grounds and in a pressure-free atmosphere. "I welcome your return to talks for cooperation on common grounds," said the top Iranian nuclear negotiator in response to an earlier letter by Ashton.

Jalili described "respect for nations' rights and avoidance of pressure" as two very basic principles for cooperation, reiterating that the will of nations will finally overcome hegemonic relations in the word order.

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that while the P5+1 were studying Jalili's letter, "We've also been very candid in saying that unless there's a reason to meet, we shouldn't meet."

In a letter sent to Iran in early February following the January talks in Istanbul, Ashton reiterated the group's position on Iran's nuclear program but also affirmed that the world powers were keen to continue talks with the Islamic Republic without any preconditions.