Iran rejects Saudi Arabia, Qatar's call to join n-talks

The Iranian government Wednesday rejected Qatar and Saudi Arabia's call to join the nuclear talks between Iran and the world powers by terming the suggestion as "irrelevant".

The Iranian foreign ministry's spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham rejected the idea that the Arab states should be given a seat at the nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group (the US, Britain, France, Russia, China plus Germany), Xinhua reported citing Tehran Times.

She also said that the mechanisms for resolving the nuclear dispute between Iran and the powers were clear enough.

Qatari foreign minister and Saudi Arabia's former intelligence chief said earlier this week that "Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) must be part of the negotiations between major world powers and Iran", the report said.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of Iran's Majlis (Parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, also said the presence of the Arab states in the talks between Iran and the P5+1 group is "out of question", the daily reported.

Iran and the P5+1 group struck a deal in Geneva Nov 24, in which Iran agreed to freeze part of its nuclear programme in exchange for limited ease of sanctions which have hurt its economy.