Iran, World Powers Continue Expert-Level N. Talks for 2nd Day
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Experts representing Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) held another meeting on Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program for the second day in a row in Vienna on Friday.
The Austrian capital of Vienna has once again brought representatives from Iran and the six world powers together for a fresh round of expert-level talks over Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program, a few days before the political directors meet in the same city.
The talks kicked off in Vienna, one of the four headquarters of the United Nations, on Thursday evening.
As regards the main topics raised during the Thursday talks, Hamid Baeedinejad, head of the Iranian team of experts and the director general for political and international affairs at Iran’s foreign ministry, said the negotiating parties have discussed “technical issues” for more than four hours yesterday.
He further announced that a number of experts representing the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) have also taken part in the new round of expert-level talks.
The ongoing talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 (also known as P5+1 or E3+3) come only a few days before the political directors from the seven countries gather again in the Austrian capital to hold another round of high-profile negotiations on April 7-9.
In relevant comment on Thursday, Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Reza Najafi underlined that the fresh round of expert-level talks covers all remaining issues related to a final deal on Iran’s nuclear case.
“The third round of the expert-level talks between Iran and the Group 5+1, which started on Thursday afternoon in Vienna, will include all remaining issues agreed to be brought up within the framework of the comprehensive and final deal,” Najafi explained.
Iran and its negotiating partners wrapped up their latest round of high-level nuclear talks in Vienna on March 19.
The whole talks are aimed at resolving the West’s decade-long standoff over Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities.
On November 24, 2013, Tehran and the six powers clinched a landmark interim deal in the Swiss city of Geneva.
Based on the Geneva interim deal (the Joint Plan of Action), the world powers agreed to suspend some non-essential sanctions and to impose no new nuclear-related bans in return for Tehran's decision to suspend its 20% enrichment for a period of six months.
The breakthrough deal, which has come into effect since January 20, also stipulates that over the course of six months, Iran and the six countries will draw up a comprehensive nuclear deal which will lead to a lifting of the whole sanctions on Iran.
