Uranium Enrichment, Sanctions Lifting on Vienna Talks Agenda: Iranian Foreign Minister

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RIA Novosti, PUBLISHED 14.10.2014

The volume of uranium enrichment and the timetable for lifting EU, US and UN nuclear-related sanctions against Iran are high on the agenda of this week's nuclear talks in Vienna, which will see the Islamic Republic's negotiators meeting with EU and US officials, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told Iranian media upon arrival in Vienna.

"On the agenda are the volume of uranium enrichment and the timetable for lifting the sanctions," Zarif said.

He added however that the breakthrough was unlikely to be achieved this week, though the meeting will become a step toward striking a comprehensive nuclear deal between Iran and the so-called P5+1 group.

"Although we do not expect a breakthrough in the trilateral negotiations, but still this round could pave the way for a final agreement," Zarif added.

On Tuesday, Iranian negotiators headed by Javad Zarif will meet with senior US officials - Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman, as well as with the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. US Secretary of State John Jerry will join the talks on Wednesday.

The sides are expected to announce the date for the next round of talks between Iran and the six powers after this week's Vienna talks.

Under the Joint Plan of Action (JPA) agreed last November in Geneva, Iran and the world's six major powers are scheduled to work out a "mutually-agreed long-term comprehensive solution that would ensure Iran's nuclear programme will be exclusively peaceful".

Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program activities in exchange for some sanctions relief. The initial deadline for finding a permanent agreement was set for July 2014, but then moved till November. According to Iranian officials, it may still be postponed again, if the sides fail to settle the differences on time.

The latest round of negotiations took place on September 24, when the group of international mediators met with the Iranian delegation in New York to discuss the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, although they failed to reach an agreement on any of the key issues.

Topics: Iran

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