Zarif, Ashton discuss upcoming talks in Switzerland

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton, in a meeting in Switzerland, discussed the latest process of the talks between Iran and the six major world powers (the US, Russia, France, Britain, China and Germany). During the meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, Zarif and Ashton also had a discussion on the proposed dates for continuing the talks and highlighted the necessity of interaction for finalizing an appropriate date. On Monday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyed Abbas Araqchi, who is also a senior nuclear negotiator, said Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council member plus Germany) may resume talks in February. On Wednesday, Araqchi announced that the Iranian Foreign Ministry has set up a secretariat to pursue the precise implementation of its Geneva agreement with the Araqchi said that the secretariat is presided by Foreign Ministry’s Director-General for Political and International Affairs Hamid Baeedinejad who is also a member of the negotiating team in the talks with the world powers. He also stated that the Foreign Ministry has sent letters to 8 ministries and organizations, including the Central Bank and the oil, Trade and Industries, and Road ministries, to set up offices for pursuing the execution of the contents of the agreement. “The Foreign Ministry has urged these organizations and ministries to introduce one of their senior directors as a liaison officer with the Foreign Ministry,” Araqchi said. On Monday, Iran started the voluntary suspension of its 20-percent uranium enrichment in accordance with the Geneva deal struck by Tehran and the world powers in Geneva in November. Later in the day, the EU and the US announced the lifting of some sanctions on Tehran as the first part of their undertakings under the Geneva Deal. Iran and the G5+1 reached a final deal on November 24 in Geneva after days of hard work and intensive negotiations. After endorsing the agreement with the world powers, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif underlined that the six world powers have recognized Iran’s enrichment program. As part of the deal, in exchange for Iran’s confidence-building bid to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities, the six world powers agreed to lift some of the existing sanctions against Tehran. Araqchi said it had previously been agreed that negotiations on the final step would begin shortly after the implementation of the interim nuclear deal clinched between Iran and the six powers in Geneva last November. Under the deal, which was implemented on January 20, the six countries undertook to provide Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities during six months. It was also agreed that no nuclear-related sanctions would be imposed on the country within the same timeframe. The Geneva accord is aimed at setting the stage for the full resolution of the dispute over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.