Spokesman Terms Zarif-Ashton Talks "Long, Useful"
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton wrapped up their meeting in the Turkish city of Istanbul, a meeting which Michael Mann, Ashton’s spokesman, described as "long and useful".
“The High Representative held very long and useful discussions with Foreign Minister Zarif in order to inform the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program,” Mann stated on Tuesday.
“They explored different possibilities as part of an ongoing process,” he said, adding that the next formal round of talks between the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) and Iran will be held from June 16 to 20 in the Austrian capital of Vienna.
“In the meantime, Ashton and Zarif are recommending that an experts’ meeting should take place soon. Other political discussions will continue as and when needed,” he concluded.
Ashton coordinates diplomacy with Iran on behalf of the Group 5+1 (also known as the P5+1 or E3+3) in the marathon talks with the aim of hammering out a final nuclear deal, meant to end years of Western standoff over Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program.
After meeting with Ashton, Zarif was scheduled to leave Istanbul for the Algerian capital of Algiers to partake in a ministerial conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
