Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 16
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
The Persian Gulf Arab states should be assured that positive Iran-5+1 talks will also be beneficial for them, ISNA quoted Abbas-Ali Mansouri Arani, member of the national security and foreign policy committee of the Iranian parliament, as saying on Nov. 16.
The Persian Gulf Arab states are concerned that any agreement between Iran and the major powers will boost Iran's authority in the region and may endanger their political and economic situation, he added.
Some countries are trying to take advantage of tension between Iran and the Persian Gulf Arab states. We should enhance relations with the Persian Gulf Arab states to the extent that they become assured they will benefit from positive talks between Iran and the P5+1, he explained.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister and top nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi forecasted that the next round of the Iran-P5+1 negotiations on Iran's nuclear program will be hard, Mehr news agency reported on Nov. 16.
The last round of nuclear talks between Iran and the five United Nations veto powers plus Germany, which is known as P5+1, ended on November 10 without any results.
The next round of talks is scheduled to be held in Geneva on Nov. 20 and 30.
Araqchi underlined that the agreement with West would not be realized without acknowledge of Iran's nuclear rights.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union Foreign Policy Chief, Catherine Ashton will meet in Geneva before the Iran-P5+1 delegation's talks, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister added.
Zarif will also visit Italy to meet with Italian officials on his way to Geneva, Araqchi said.
The U.S. and its Western allies suspect Iran of developing a nuclear weapon - something that Iran denies. The Islamic Republic has stated that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, using nuclear energy for medical research instead.