TEHRAN, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian
parliament representative said on Monday that the presence of a top U.S.
diplomat in the recent nuclear talks in Geneva had been a success for Iran, the
official IRNA news agency reported.
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of the Iranian Parliament's
National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said that the use of all levers
of pressure by the U.S. to drive the European Union to impose further sanctions
on Iran had been a failure.
However, "decisions made at the Geneva meeting were a
step forward," he added.
Boroujerdi's comments came after high-level talks
between six major countries and Iran over its controversial nuclear programs
staged in Geneva, Switzerland on Saturday.
The talks were held between Iranian top nuclear
negotiator Saeed Jalili and European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier
Solana, in the presence of U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns and senior
diplomats from China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany.
Referring to both Jalili and Solana's comments on
their talks as "constructive", Boroujerdi pointed out that "The two sides should
work on the common points of their proposals as well as the points they differ
on."
Solana told a press conference after the talks that
"there is always progress in these talks, but insufficient," adding the one-day
meeting was "constructive."
He voiced hope that the long-running Iran nuclear
issue should be solved through cooperation instead of confrontation.
However, U.S. spokesman Sean McCormack warned after
the talks that Iran should either accept the incentives, or face "further
isolation."
Ahmadinejad rejected any threats against the Islamic
Republic, saying the country would continue its nuclear drive.
"We expect threats and hostility from the enemies
side, but we are getting stronger day by day and keep moving forward."
The United States and its allies accused Iran of
trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program.
Iran denied the U.S. charges and insists that its nuclear program is for
peaceful purposes only.