Azerbaijan, Baku, June 9 /Trend S.Isayev/
Six powers don't have high expectations for the upcoming nuclear talks with Iran in Moscow, professor at the University of Glasgow and expert on nuclear issues Reza Taghizadeh told Trend.
Iran and 5+1 group (Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States plus Germany) held three sessions of talks in Baghdad on May 23 and 24 after an earlier round of negotiations in the Turkish city of Istanbul in mid-April.
The two sides have agreed to hold another round of talks in Moscow on June 18-19.
Speaking about Iran's willingness to hold preliminary talks with "5+1" group representatives, Taghizadeh noted that these talks are usually more important that official encounters.
"This is what the talks in Istanbul lacked, as the sides did not have any chance of meeting in advance. That's why no agreements were reached in Istanbul," Taghizadeh said.
He added that in order to avoid the prolonged talks during official meetings, it was necessary for the experts of two sides to work out the framework within which they could have come up with some sort of agreement.
In May, when the nuclear talks in Baghdad were taking place, it was agreed to hold a preparatory session of talks, prior to the official Moscow meeting in June 18-19.
Iranian request was answered, however the officials of the Islamic Republic claim the letter did not contain any details or information that has been requested.
Taghizadeh believes that the Six powers do not have high expectations going into the discussions, so they will participate in the talks, only listening to what Iranian side has to offer.
"They decided not to have any preliminary talks with Iran to see if the country is up to any negotiation based on compromise," Taghizadeh said.
"They are waiting for Iran to blink, or to make the first offer. If Iran fails, they later can blame the country for being reluctant to give up any part of its nuclear program," he added.
Taghizadeh further says that Six powers believe time is working against Iran and the sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic are working.
"The 5+1 group does not believe Iran, they do not believe Iran is ready to give up its uranium enrichment," Taghizadeh said, adding that the prospects of the upcoming talks in Moscow are bleak.
The Islamic Republic has persistently denied its nuclear programme is for anything but civilian purposes, but some Western powers suspect Iran is trying to cover up nuclear tests there.
The developments come amid mounting impatience from nations including the United States and Israel over Iran's perceived stalling to allow full inspections and oversight of its nuclear programme.
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