Iran, Powers propose Jan. 20 for Geneva talks

The head of Iran’s expert-level nuclear negotiating team says Tehran and the six world powers have proposed January 20 as the date to implement the landmark Geneva deal.

Hamid Baeidinejad said on Wednesday that the proposed date needed to be verified by the two sides’ political directors.

He noted that due to the Christmas recess and a meeting between senior Iranian and European Union officials, the proposed date might be delayed for a few days.

Baeidinejad dismissed recent remarks made by a US State Department spokeswoman, Marie Harf, who said the implementation plan has yet to be finalized.

The Iranian official noted that experts from the two sides have completed their studies and submitted the final version to the senior political directors.

On Monday, experts from Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — Russia, China, France, Britain and the US — plus Germany launched a new round of talks meant to devise a mechanism to implement a landmark interim deal reached between the two sides in the Swiss city of Geneva on November 24.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi said the expert-level talks, which continued through Tuesday morning, concluded “with relatively good progress.”

He, however, pointed out that certain issues remain to be resolved at the “political level” and that he would possibly meet with Helga Schmid, a deputy of European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, next week.

Under the Geneva deal, the six countries undertook to provide Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Iran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities during a six-month period.

The two sides also agreed that no more nuclear-related sanctions would be imposed on Iran within the same timeframe.