Iran accepts 5+1 request for holding expert meetings

Iran has accepted the six major powers' request for meetings to be held between experts from the two sides before a possible new round of negotiations in order to help advance the process of talks over Iran's nuclear program, the Mehr News Agency correspondent reported.

No further details about the date and venue for the next round of talks were available until this time.

The request was made on the second day of intensive talks between negotiators from the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany), who were led by European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, and the Iranian delegation, which was led by the secretary of Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, in the Russian capital Moscow on Monday and Tuesday.

The negotiations were a continuation of talks that were held in Istanbul on April 14 and in Baghdad on May 23 and 24.

After the Baghdad talks, Helga Schmid, the deputy secretary general for political affairs of the European External Action Service, and SNSC Deputy Secretary Ali Baqeri were tasked with drawing up an agenda for the Moscow talks and experts from the two sides were supposed to hold meetings to make the necessary preparations.

However, the major powers reneged on the agreements made during the Baghdad talks and preliminary meetings were not held.

After the first day of the talks, Baqeri told reporters that Iran had elaborated on the proposals presented in Baghdad during the negotiations.

He described the meetings as "serious" and "constructive", adding that the Iranian negotiators had expressed their views on the proposals presented by the six major powers.

The main point of Iran's package of proposals is that the negotiating countries must recognize Iran's right to enrichment under the NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) and Iran's nuclear rights should not be reduced and no obligations beyond the NPT should be imposed on it.

According to Reuters, the six powers have also demanded that Iran stop producing higher-grade uranium, ship any stockpile out of the country, and close down the Fordo underground enrichment facility.