Nuclear Ban Ki-moon urges Iran progress "concrete"

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday urged Iran's leaders he met in Tehran to take "concrete steps" to allay fears about the country's nuclear program, said his spokesman Martin Nesirky . Mr. Ban, who met including the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also pointed to his interlocutors that Tehran's recent comments about Israel were "offensive". According to the spokesman, who spoke to journalists from Tehran to New York, Mr. Ban "said Iran must take concrete steps to address the concerns of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy ) and to show the world that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. " The Secretary-General also noted that this issue could be settled that "a diplomatic and peaceful solution," while Israel has threatened to attack Iran's nuclear facilities preemptively. Referring to the comments of Iranian leaders calling the Jewish state of "tumor," Mr. Ban reiterated that the remarks were "offensive and provocative" and considered it "unacceptable." According to Mr. Nesirky, he asked Tehran to "use its influence to argue with Syrian leaders need to urgently put an end to the violence and create the conditions for a genuine dialogue" between power and opposition. He also reiterated his opposition to any "further militarization" of the conflict and "called on all countries not to supply weapons to various parties in Syria." According to his spokesperson, Mr. Ban "believes that Iran, given its regional influence and its influence on Syria, may play an important role in regulation" of this crisis. Finally, Nesirky said the secretary general of the UN said during his meeting with Iranian President that "human rights in Iran remained a concern" and that "civil and political rights (Iranians) must be respected. " Mr. Ban also met on the sidelines of the 16th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement to which he must attend Thursday in Tehran, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili, responsible for negotiations with the major powers on the nuclear issue, as well as Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani. Martin Nesirky stressed that the talks had been "very detailed" but declined to characterize the Iranian reactions to Mr. Ban.