Zarif-Ashton Meeting Kicks off in Geneva

According to Tasnim dispatches, during the meeting, which started at 14:30 local time in the Swiss city, the two sides are to review scheduled programs for the negotiations and set the framework for the upcoming meetings.

The meeting is also attended by the Iranian nuclear negotiators and Helga Maria Schmid, deputy to Catherine Ashton.

Meanwhile, the six world powers are going to hold a separate internal meeting for consultations and coordination ahead of the forthcoming talks with Iran.

The European Union foreign policy chief’s spokesman, Michael Mann, had announced earlier that Catherine Ashton is set to preside over the internal meeting among G5+1 representatives.

During the previous round of talks between Tehran and the six major world powers earlier this month, the two sides managed to narrow their differences on Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, though there were hitches that stopped them from reaching an interim deal at the end of the talks.

In remarks ahead of the new round of nuclear negotiations, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that the latest round of talks had made good progress, but added that unjustified demands could obstruct the path to a win-win agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.

“Good progress had been made in the recent talks (between Iran and the G5+1), but everybody should notice that excessive demands could complicate the process towards a win-win agreement,” Rouhani said in telephone conversation with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on November 18.

And Foreign Minister Zarif said on Tuesday he sees “every possibility for success” of the forthcoming nuclear talks between Iran and the six world powers.

“I think there is every possibility for success of these talks, provided that the two sides engage in these discussions with good faith and with the political will to resolve the problem,” Zarif said  at a joint press conference with his Italian counterpart Emma Bonino in Rome.