Deputy head of the Iranian team of negotiators Ali Baqeri met with Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu following the first round of talks between Tehran and the six world powers in Baghdad on Wednesday, Fars News reported.
Baqeri, an Undersecretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and a deputy head of the Iranian team of negotiators in talks with the world powers, met Zhaoxu following the morning session of the multifaceted talks between Tehran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) in Baghdad.
The Chinese delegation is next scheduled to meet with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who heads the delegations of the six world powers to the talks - the US, China, Russia, Britain and France plus Germany.
Last month and after a 15-month hiatus, Iran and the Group 5+1 resumed negotiations in Istanbul and agreed to meet again in Baghdad today.
Negotiating teams started closed-door talks at Dar al-Ziafah compound in Baghdad's al-Khazra (Green) zone at 12:30 local time (0930 GMT). The morning session lasted for 3 hours.
The Iranian team of negotiators is headed by SNSC Secretary Saeed Jalili, and delegations of the world powers are led by Ashton.
Jalili is accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister for Asian and Pacific Affairs Abbas Araqchi, SNSC Undersecretary Ali Baqeri, Foreign Ministry Advisor Hamid Reza Asgari and former Head of the Foreign Ministry's Office for the Political and International Studies Mostafa Dowlatyar.
The 5+1 members are represented at the talks by Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, US Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman, Britain's former Ambassador to Iran Geoffrey Adams, Director-General for Political and Security Affairs at the French Foreign Ministry Jacque Audibert and German Deputy Foreign Minister Hans-Dieter Lucas.
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