Baku, Azerbaijan, June 13
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Germany's chief nuclear negotiator Hans-Dieter Lucas arrived in Tehran on June 13 for informal talks on Iran's nuclear issue.
Lucas, who is the political director of the German foreign ministry, will meet with senior Iranian officials during the 3-day visit to prepare the next round of nuclear talks, due to be held in Vienna on June 16-20, Iran's Mehr news agency reported.
Tehran and the P5+1 (the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China - plus Germany) have been discussing ways to iron out differences and start drafting a final deal on Tehran's disputed nuclear program.
Iran's nuclear negotiating team is holding a series of bilateral talks with diplomats from the six world powers ahead of upcoming nuclear negotiations.
The German diplomat is scheduled to meet with Ali Akbar Velayati, the senior advisor on international affairs to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei on June 13 and with top Iranian negotiator and deputy foreign minister Abbas Araqchi as well as Majid Takht-Ravanchi, deputy foreign minister for European and American Affairs on June 15.
Lucas will also attend a round-table discussion in Tehran on future relations between Iran and the West hosted by the Hamburg-based Koerber Foundation. Titled "Iran and the West: Perspectives for a Cooperation", guests include 30 high-ranking politicians, government representatives and experts from Europe, the US and Iran.
The U.S. and its Western allies suspect Iran of developing a nuclear weapon - something that Iran denies. The Islamic Republic has on numerous occasions stated that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, using nuclear energy for medical research instead.