US, France urge Iran to seize chance to resume talks

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama called on Iran Thursday to take the upcoming nuclear talks seriously and suspend sensitive atomic activities.

“They called on Iran to seize the opportunity to resume talks with the Six (world powers), to engage in serious negotiations and suspend all sensitive nuclear activities,” Sarkozy’s office said in a statement after the two leaders held a video-conference.

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The two expressed "determination" to implement bolstered sanctions "as long as Tehran refuses to comply with its international obligations, in particular Security Council resolutions concerning its nuclear weapons program," according to the statement.

Sarkozy and Obama. Prepping ground for talks (Photo: AP)

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany are set to convene in Istanbul on Saturday to discuss the Islamic Republic's controversial nuclear program, with Tehran promising to present "new initiatives."

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday that there are signs the Tehran will present new proposals at the negotiations.

"We are receiving signals that they are bringing ideas to the table," she told reporters. "We want them to demonstrate, clearly, in the actions they propose that they have truly abandoned any nuclear weapons ambition."

Clinton spoke after a two-day meeting of the G-8's top diplomats. Its members include Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the US.

She said that the Group of Eight leading industrialized democracies hopes this weekend's talks will create an environment for diplomatic breakthroughs with Tehran.

AFP, AP and Reuters contributed to the report

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