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Iran, P5+1 to resume nuclear talks on April 22-23 in Vienna: EU

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Iran and six global powers are expected to resume talks on Tehran’s nuclear program later this month in the Austrian capital of Vienna, the European Union (EU) says.

The EU announced Thursday that political directors from Iran and the P5+1 member states will meet on April 22-23 to start drafting a permanent nuclear accord based on a mutual understanding they reached earlier this month in the Swiss city of Lausanne.

The EU statement said the two sides “will continue work towards a comprehensive solution to the Iranian nuclear issue based on the key understandings reached in Switzerland on April 2.”

Iran and P5+1 group of countries – the US, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany – are planning to start drafting a final inclusive deal which they seek to sign by the end of June.

The EU said the talks will initially involve EU’s political director, Helga Schmid, and Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, Abbas Araqchi. Representatives from the P5+1 group will also join the negotiations.

“In parallel, experts will continue the work on the technical details necessary to finalize the political work,” the statement added.

EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini (L), and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attend the announcement of a mutual understanding on Iran nuclear issue on April 2, in the Swiss city of Lausanne. (© AFP)
The mechanism for lifting the sanctions imposed on Tehran will be a major stumbling block in the new round of talks between Iran and P5+1. The Western governments, headed by the United States, say removal of bans will be conducted in an step-by-step manner, while Tehran insists that all sanctions should be lifted as soon as the final nuclear deal goes into effect.

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