...

Jalili, Ashton to meet tonight

Iran Materials 24 May 2012 02:19 (UTC +04:00)

Iran's top negotiator Saeed Jalili and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who leads the delegations of the six world powers in talks with Iran, are due to attend a bilateral meeting tonight, Fars News reported.

Negotiating teams from Iran and the six world powers agreed in their last month meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, to continue talks in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, today.

This morning the two sides held their first round of talks behind closed door at Dar al-Ziafah compound in Baghdad's al-Khazra (Green) zone at 12:30 local time (0930 GMT), which lasted for 3 hours.

The negotiating teams were due to continue their talks this evening, but later announced that the second session, originally scheduled for 18:00 Baghdad time (1500 GMT), was delayed until tomorrow morning.

Neither party has yet explained why the evening session was postponed.

Following the morning session, it was announced that Iran has offered a comprehensive package of step-by-step proposals to the six world powers during the morning session.

FNA dispatches from Baghdad said the Iranian package includes five subjects in various fields of nuclear and non-nuclear cooperation.

The Iranian step-by-step proposals offer practical steps to the western sides.

Representatives of the G5+1 were due to express their view about the package in the evening session.

Following the morning session, Iran's deputy chief negotiator Ali Baqeri met with Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu.

The Chinese delegation to the talks then met with Ashton.

Later in the day, Baqeri attended a bilateral meeting with Ashton's deputy Helga Schmid.

After the meeting with Baqeri, Schmid met with the delegations of the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) to brief them of Iran's views.

Last month and after more than a year of stalled talks, Iran and the G5+1 resumed negotiations in Istanbul and agreed to meet again in Baghdad today.

After the last month meeting in Istanbul, Jalili and Ashton announced that their deputies, Baqeri and Schmid, were assigned to draft an agreement on cooperation between Tehran and the six world powers before the Baghdad meeting today.

Tags:
Latest

Latest