Zarif Says Parties Can Resume Talks in Ten Days
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian foreign minister and the country’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said negotiations between Iran and six world powers can resume in the near future as he enters trilateral talks with Russian foreign minister and the EU foreign policy chief.
The trilateral meeting between Zarif and Sergei Lavrov and Catherine Ashton started in Geneva this afternoon.
Speaking prior to the meeting, Zarif said negotiators are discussing how to draft a deal about which all the 7 negotiating parties could reach agreement.
Iran's top negotiator said the phase is very difficult, but at the same time noted that all of Iran’s concerns have been mentioned.
He further raised the possibility that Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) can hold another round of talks within the next 7 to 10 days.
This round of talks which was initially supposed to last for two days (November 7-8) was extended into Saturday after signs that an agreement on Iran's nuclear program was within reach.
Sudden progress in meetings between Iran and the group of nations known alternatively as the G5+1, P5+1 or EU3+3 -- the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany -- comes after years of stalemate between western nations and Iran over its nuclear program.
