International Shia News Agency

Mehrnews/ Iran, 5+1 expert-level talks kick off in Vienna

SHAFAQNA (International Shia News Association) – During this round of talks which recently began in Vienna, experts from Iran and the G5+1 will debate the remaining points of difference in a bid to reach an agreement.

Director General for Political and International Affairs of Iran’s Foreign Ministry Hamid Baidinejad and Stephan Clement the senior advisor of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton are jointly leading the two-day meeting in Vienna.

The level of uranium enrichment in Iran, the process of the total termination of the sanctions against the Islamic Republic and the duration of a final nuclear agreement over Iran’s nuclear energy program are the main topics on which the negotiators are trying to reach an agreement during this meeting.

The latest round of talks (the 8th round) between Iran and G5+1 ended in Vienna on October 16.

During a press conference which took place today in Tehran,  Iran’s FM shed some light on issues regarding Iran’s nuclear talks.

Marzieh Afkham noted that Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities and the lifting of sanctions are the two main topics of the negotiation and said, “we advise the negotiators to avoid raising topics that are still under negotiation and have yet to be made certain and do not get the media involved.”

In response to the remarks by the US Department of State regarding Iran’s compromise for the lifting of some non-nuclear sanctions, she said, “these sanctions have not been the topic of nuclear talks. The topic revolves solely around the nuclear sanctions. Iran and its negotiating team have always had a clear stance in regard to the lifting of sanctions and that, as has been already agreed in Geneva, is the complete termination of them and not their suspension.”

Afkham pointed to the recent IAEA’s report on Iran’s commitment to the Geneva deal and the one ton increase in the previously agreed conversion of 3 tons of low-enriched uranium to natural uranium and said, “this figure is technical and has been agreed on between IAEA and the Atomic Energy Agency. Iran is living up to the six-month accord reached last November and this can be proved by the IAEA’s report. In any case, these figures are in complete accordance with the agreements and the IAEA technical experts are closely following the details.”

In regard to the number of centrifuges and whether the transfer of enrichment to Russia is still in progress, she said, “I prefer not to have the course of negotiations debated on the media scene, and rather let the expert committee to follow the negotiating issues. As long as we have not reached an agreement on all negotiated issues, we cannot say we have agreed on any of the provisions.”

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