Next round of Iran-G5+1 talks to be held in Istanbul
IRNA – Wednesday evening at end of Deputy Iranian Security Council Secretary Ali Baqeri and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu it was announced here that next round of Iran-G5 + 1 nuclear negotiations would be held in Istanbul.
According to IRNA Wednesday, the diplomatic sources in Istanbul announced that Baqeri and Oglu in their meeting spoke about the outcome of Baqeri-Schmidt Tuesday talks.
Turkish Anatolia news agency quoting “diplomatic sources” reported that Foreign Minister Davutoglu in his meeting with Iranian Deputy Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Baqeri announced Turkey’s continuous support for pursuing the nuclear negotiations in Istanbul, as he had gained both sides’ support for the idea.
The exact date for next round of Jalili-Ashton led talks is not clear yet, though.
Sa’eid Jalili’s deputy, Ali Baqeri, who had arrived here on Monday, talked behind closed doors in Istanbul with Catharine Ashton’s deputy, Helga Schmidt.
Deputy Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Baqeri arrived in Istanbul Monday to take part in negotiation between deputies of Sa’eid Jalili and deputy of EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton, Helga Schmidt.
Informed sources in Istanbul told the IRNA reporter here that the Iran-G5+1 related negotiations between Baqeri and Schmidt are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, in which the two sides are expected to survey matters related to approaching viewpoints, decreasing differences of opinion, and achieving progress in the process of negotiations.
According to this report, if the result of the Istanbul talks between the two deputies of the Iran-G5+1 top negotiators would be positive and Baqeri and Schmidt would manage to prepare a practical agenda for the continuation of talks, the next phase would be deciding over the time and place of the next round of Iran-G5+1 talks, headed by Jalili and Ashton.
The details of those talks would be finalized in phone talks between the latter two officials.
It seems as if these talks, too, would like the former talks between the two sides’ technicians in Istanbul, be held in the absence of media representatives, “behind closed doors”.
The Information and Media Office of the Turkish Prime Minister’s Office, in charge of issuing the reporters’ pass cards has still issued no press pass card for this meeting, strengthening the above speculation.
Agreement on Baqeri-Schmidt talks was reached during the recent technicians’ talks in Istanbul.
During five sessions of negotiations in Moscow, the two sides' negotiators exchanged views over the packages of proposals they had presented in the last month talks in Baghdad.
Iran's chief negotiator Sa'eid Jalili said after two days of talks with the six world powers in Moscow that uranium enrichment is the Iranian nation's inalienable right and the Group 5+1 should now make a choice.
EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton, who leads the delegations of the six world powers in negotiations with Iran, said that the representatives from Tehran and the sextet will attend an experts' meeting next month on July 3rd in Istanbul.
Iran and the Group 5+1 held several rounds of talks in Baghdad two months ago. The Baghdad meeting came after Iran and the six world powers resumed talks in Istanbul, Turkey, in April.
It should be noted that Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of 'trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program,' while they have never presented any compelling evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.
Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.
Despite the rules enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitling every member state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions for turning down West's calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment.
Tehran has dismissed the West's demands as politically tainted and illogical, stressing those sanctions and pressures merely consolidate Iranians’ national resolve to continue the path.