Iran

Iran’s Zarif, EU’s Ashton to Meet in Brussels

Iran's Zarif, EU's Ashton to Meet in Brussels

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton are due to hold a meeting in Brussels early September.

The meeting between Zarif and Ashton is scheduled to be held on the sidelines of a visit by the Iranian top diplomat to Belgium early next month to discuss the latest developments in talks between Iran and the world powers.

Last month, Iran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) had over two weeks of negotiations in Vienna with no final agreement between the two sides, but they extended their July 20 deadline for a few more months.

During the talks, a senior member of the Iranian team of negotiators stressed that the excessive demands made by the other side are the root cause of the differences between Tehran and the world powers.

At the end of their talks, the two sides agreed to extend the talks till November 24 for brokering a final deal.

Zarif and Ashton in a joint statement after over two weeks of talks stressed the need for more efforts and time to reach an agreement with the world powers over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Due to certain differences over some fundamental issues the two sides agreed to extend the Joint Plan of Action by November 24, they added.

Earlier this month, an Iranian deputy foreign minister voiced satisfaction in the progressive trend of the nuclear talks between Iran and the six major world powers, and described the one-on-one talks with the Sextet members as a productive plan to narrow down differences before the scheduled high-level meeting in September.

“Iran will definitely hold bilateral talks with the Group 5+1 ahead of the scheduled (high-level) meeting between Zarif and Catherine Ashton on the sidelines of the (annual gathering of the) UN General Assembly,” Deputy Foreign Minister for European and Americas’ Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi said.

“The exact timetable and venue of the meetings have not been determined yet,” he added.

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