PARIS, Jan 10 (KUNA) - France said on Thursday thatit wanted a rapidresponsefrom Iran to a proposal for nuclear talks issued by the internationalcommunityby EU Foreign Policy Chief, Catherine Ashton, official sources said.offered fresh talks to the Iranian side at a meeting Tuesday inIstanbul, whereshe met with Iran's senior nuclear negotiator Said Jalili.
"We are ready to pursue our dialogue with Iran on the nuclear file," FrenchForeign Ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said in a briefing here.
"contacts are on-going and proposals for a date and placehave been made to Iran," but he did not reveal details on these.
"We, along with our partners in the (5+1) group, expect a rapid response from the Iranians," Lalliot added.<br>The "5+1" group is made up of the United States, Russia, China, France,Britain and Germany, and is represented in contacts with Iran by Ashton.
In at least three important meetings last year, Iran and the internationalcommunity failed to make significant progress on the controversial nuclearissue amid growing suspicion among several Western countries that Tehran isusing its civil nuclear technology to mask the development of an atomic bomb.
Iran denies these allegations and says it is exercising its right todevelop civil nuclear energy.
"The most important (thing) is that Iran fully respects, without delay, itsinternational obligations and stops its sensitive activities as denounced bythe international community, the Security Council and the Governors of theIAEA" - the UN nuclear watchdog, Lalliot remarked.
France also encouraged theprospect of a resumption of separate talksbetween the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran and said these talksshould lead to full access by IAEA inspectors to Iranian sites, without anyconditions.
"The Security Council resolutions and those of the (IAEA) Governors arevery clear on the demands thatare made of Iran. They must be concretely andfully satisfied," the spokesman stressed.
Iran has been singled out in four separateSecurity Council resolutionssince 2006 for its nuclear activities and called upon to halt uraniumenrichment and also to allow free access to its sites for monitoring.
Iran has also been previously been told to halt ballistic missile teststhat could have a bearing on technology to launch a nuclear missile if one wasdeveloped.
Iran's failure to comply with those resolutions had led to a series oftough, international sanctions against Tehran, notably by Western nations, whohave embargoed Iranian oil and put restrictions on financial and tradetransactions and travel for Iranian officials.
By Kuwait News Agency
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