Brussels, 07/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - The Iranian nuclear programme negotiator, Saïd Jalili, said on 4 January that he is ready to resume discussions with the E3+3 Group (France, United Kingdom, Germany and the United States, China and Russia) in January. “We have agreed to hold talks planned for January, but no agreement has been reached on the date and venue”, Jalili said while on a visit to India. He added that Iran welcomes the return of the E3+3 to discussions and that Iran hopes the six powers will come with a constructive approach and will not repeat their errors of the past.
High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, who is negotiating on behalf of the E3+3, said on the same day that the a place and dates for the negotiations were proposed on 31 December 2012. “We proposed dates and a place but we are still waiting for a response from Iran”, said Ashton's spokesperson, Michael Mann. The EU has proposed that the meeting take place in Istanbul (Turkey). A European source said that although Iran has told the press that it intends to resume discussions in January, there has still been no formal response made to Ashton. Another of Ashton's spokespeople, Sébastien Brabant, said on 4 January that the deputy secretary general of the European External Action Service, Helga Schmid, and the Iranian chief deputy negotiator, Ali Bagheri, are in contact in order to define the arrangements for the next round of negotiations.
The last meeting of the E3+3 and Iran took place in Moscow on 18-19 June. The resumption of the dialogue dates back to 14 April in Istanbul, followed by another meeting in Baghdad on 23-24 May. (CG/transl.fl)