Brussels, 19/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton plans next week to meet the foreign affairs ministers from the E3+3 (Germany, France, UK, China, Russia and USA) on the sidelines of the ministerial week of the United Nations General Assembly, “in order to assess the situation and discuss the way forward” on the Iranian nuclear programme. This was announced by Ashton's spokesperson on Tuesday 18 September - after the meeting between Ashton and the Iranian negotiator, Saeed Jalili. Neither the precise date of the meeting next week, nor its format are yet known, the spokesperson told EUROPE.
“The six countries should evaluate the outcome of our meeting (…)”, said the chief Iranian negotiator, quoted by Reuters, adding that he is waiting for Ashton's discussion with the E3+3 and that afterwards “we will contact each other again”.
The meeting in Istanbul on 17 September “was not a formal negotiating round” but “a useful and constructive meeting, and an important opportunity to stress once again to Iran the urgent need to make progress”, said Ashton's spokesperson.
Jalili said that the discussions had been “constructive”. “We evaluated the common points and what we could do for further cooperation and future meetings”, he added.
The meeting is in line with the commitments taken at the meeting in Moscow in June. It follows meetings of experts and deputy negotiators Helga Schmid and Ali Bagheri, and the telephone conversation between Ashton and Jalili at the beginning of August. (CG/transl.fl)