India
on 25 October 2013 welcomed the prospect of resolution of issues related to Iran's
controversial nuclear programme through dialogue and diplomacy after Tehran
agreed to curb it under a deal with six world power.
"India welcomes the prospect of resolving
questions related to Iran's nuclear programme through dialogue and
diplomacy," official spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry said in
New Delhi on Sunday.
Capping four days of negotiations,
representatives the US, the UK, Russia, China, France and Germany (P5+1 group
of nations) reached an agreement with Iran in the early hours in Geneva to slow
its controversial nuclear programme in return for about USD 7 billion in
sanctions relief.
Under the deal, Iran agreed to give better
access to inspectors and halt some of its work on uranium enrichment. But
Iranian negotiators insisted they still had a right to nuclear power.
In
return, there will be no new nuclear-related sanctions on Iran for six months.
The agreement is consistent with India's
position that the issue should be resolved diplomatically on the basis of recognition
of Iran's right to peaceful use of nuclear energy and in accordance with its
international obligations as a non-nuclear weapon state.
While stating that government was "in the
process of obtaining details from our key interlocutors", the spokesperson
recalled that India had welcomed the earlier agreement reached on 11th November
between Iran and the IAEA, which is the only competent technical agency to
verify the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities, on
practical measures for enhanced IAEA verification activity at Iranian nuclear
sites.
However, sanctions on oil exports from Iran will
continue, affecting India and other countries.
India has slashed import of crude oil from Iran
by over 26.5 percent in the financial year ended 31st March as US and European
sanctions made it difficult to ship oil from the Persian Gulf nation.
Under the deal, Iran will also stop enriching
uranium beyond 5 percent, the level at which it can be used for weapons
research, and reduce its stockpile of uranium enriched beyond this point.
The agreement -- described as an "initial,
six-month" deal -- could build trust and confidence between Iran and the
international community and can lead to a durable and long-term settlement of
the nuclear issue.
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