Iran

EU Ashton briefing Sextet FMs on Zarif meeting

ashton_zarif_151013EU Foreign Policy chief Catherin Ashton is briefing the foreign ministers of the group of six powers on her meeting with the top Iranian diplomat, Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Interfax reported on Saturday that the foreign ministers of Britain, China, France, Russia, the US and Germany – William Hague, Wang Yi, Laurent Fabius, Sergei Lavrov, John Kerry and Guido Westerwelle respectively – are attending the meeting.

A spokesman for Ashton earlier on Saturday described her talks with Zarif as intensive. According to the report, the Iranian foreign minister might later join the coordination meeting among the Sextet.

Iran and the six powers began their latest round of negotiations on Wednesday. The present round of talks was scheduled to end on Friday, but was extended into Saturday.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said earlier in the day that it was not certain whether Saturday negotiations between Iran and the Sextet over Tehran’s nuclear energy program would end in an accord.

Iran and the six countries are working to hammer out an interim deal to pave the way for the final resolution of the West’s decade-old dispute with Iran over its nuclear energy program.

During the previous talks held in early November, the two sides came very close to a deal, which failed to materialize, due to the position adopted by France in support of the Israeli regime.

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