49th Munich Security Conference

Iranian Foreign Minister, Ali Akhbar Salehi told the delegates that Iran is a regional power and the golden key to the region calling for talks on equal terms. He said Washington should first end its threatening rhetoric towards Iran and stop saying that all options are on the table. Salehi said he welcomes Direct Talks with US, Syria opposition

49th Munich Security Conference

Sun Feb 3, 2013 6:52PM

Stefan Herrmann, Press TV, Munich

 

Once a year the world's leading officials on foreign relations meet in Germany for the Munich Security Conference. For three-days foreign and defence ministers discussed the most pressing conflicts of our time, from Mali to Syria, from the US to Russia.

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Around 400 top officials from more than 70 countries met in Germany for the 49th Munich Security Conference. The annual meeting is one of the largest gathering of its kind and focused on a wide range of issues including transatlantic relations, the European crisis, US-Russian ties, Mali and Syria.

Concerning Iran, U.S.-Vice President Joe Biden said the US was open to one-to-one talks with Iran over its nuclear program, saying diplomacy must be given a chance.

Iranian Foreign Minister, Ali Akhbar Salehi also told the delegates that Iran is a regional power and the golden key to the region calling for talks on equal terms. He said Washington should first end its threatening rhetoric towards Iran and stop saying that all options are on the table.


The propsect of direct talks between the US and Iran was widely welcomed by the delegates.

On the sideline of the conference Salehi met with the UN-Arab League Special Representative to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi. Top Iranian diplomat also met the Syrian opposition leader Moaz al-Khatib, who stressed his willingness to hold negotiations with the Syrian government to find ways to resolve the crisis and end the violence.

On Saturday, several thousand people took to the streets of Munich to demonstrate against the conference, calling the meeting a source of war. Under the slogan “No Peace with NATO” protesters from 80 organisations spoke out against what they called a colonialist intervention in Mali, the preparation of a war on Syria and demanded the lifting of sanctions on Iran.

 

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