Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.19
By Dalga Khatinoglu - Trend:
A delegation led by Abbas Araqchi, a top Iranian nuclear negotiator serving as Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, will depart for Geneva on Feb. 20 for nuclear talks with a US delegation led by Wendy Sherman, the under secretary of state for political affairs.
Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister for European and American affairs will accompany the Iranian delegation.
Araqchi told the Fars news agency on Feb.19 that after the talks between him and Sherman, Tehran's and Washington's foreign ministers will meet on Feb. 21 and Feb. 22.
The deputy secretary general for the European Union's external action service, Helga Schmid will also join the bilateral talks between Mohammad Javad Zarif and John Kerry.
The US Department of State said Feb. 18 that Sherman will lead a US delegation to Geneva for talks with Iranian officials over Tehran's disputed nuclear program.
The latest round of nuclear talks between Iran and the US was held on Feb. 6 on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
The talks between Iran and the P5+1 (the US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) were extended until June 30, 2015 to reach a comprehensive nuclear agreement. However, the sides attempt to reach a political accord in March.
After the parties failed to meet the Nov. 24, 2014 deadline they also extended the Geneva nuclear deal, which was signed in November 2013 for providing Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities.