Iran, six powers due to resume expert talks

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany are set to resume their expert-level nuclear talks in the Swiss city of Geneva.

The new round of the talks between experts from Iran and the six world powers – Britain, China, France, Russia and the US plus Germany – will begin on Monday.

The previous expert-level meeting was held on December 19-22 in Geneva.

Director General for Political and International Affairs at Iran’s Foreign Ministry Hamid Ba’eedinejad led the Iranian delegation, which included experts from nuclear, banking, oil and transportation sectors. The negotiating team from the six countries was led by Stephen Clement, who is an aide to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday that the new round of the talks between experts from Iran and the six other countries is aimed at working out mechanisms to put into force the landmark interim deal struck between the two sides on November 24.

Araqchi has also said that Ba’eedinejad will be leading Iran’s negotiating team in this round of the talks as well, and that the negotiations will last only one day because of the Gregorian New Year holidays.

The November 24 agreement seeks to pave the way for the full resolution of the decade-old dispute over Iran’s nuclear energy program.

Under the Geneva deal, the six world powers have undertaken 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. It was also agreed that no more nuclear-related sanctions would be imposed on Iran within the same timeframe.