Zarif Meets German Counterpart ahead of Meeting French FM
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with his German counterpart on the sidelines of the ongoing nuclear talks between his country and six major world powers in Geneva, after which he is expected to have a separate meeting with his French opposite.
According to Tasnim dispatches, the Iranian foreign minister and his German counterpart, Guido Westerwelle, met on Saturday, as intense consultations are in progress among all involved parties in the Swiss city.
The ongoing talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) over Tehran’s nuclear case have entered its third day.
A separate meeting is expected to bring together Zarif and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius later in the day.
Representatives of different countries are also in contact with their capitals in a bid to brief senior officials about the outcomes of negotiations held in the last two days.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told France Inter radio there are major stumbling blocks in an initial proposed text on a deal.
The French envoy's remarks echoed earlier comments by US Secretary of State John Kerry, who said after Friday's session with Iran's foreign minister and the EU foreign affairs chief that "some important gaps" remain in the talks, but that the parties are "working hard."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to join the talks Saturday and China will send its deputy foreign minister in an effort to secure a deal over Iran's nuclear program.
The planned participation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a Chinese top diplomat fueled optimism that the presence of a full complement of top diplomats from the six countries negotiating with Iran was the prelude to the announcement of a deal.
