09/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - Exchange of Chargés d'affaires with UK. A week away from the resumption of the negotiations between Iran and the E3+3, in Geneva on 15-16 October, on the Iranian nuclear issue, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague announced on 8 October that the UK and Iran will now appoint “a non-resident chargé d'affaires”. Hague stated that he had told his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, “that we are open to more direct contact and further improvements in our bilateral relationship”. “We have therefore agreed that both our countries will now appoint a non-resident chargé d'affaires tasked with implementing the building of relations, including interim steps on the way towards eventual re-opening of both our embassies”, he added. Hague said that progress in the bilateral relationship between the UK and Iran required proceeding on a reciprocal basis, step by step. He added that officials from each country, who have already met on one occasion, will meet again in Geneva next week to discuss the issue. The British Embassy in Iran has been closed since the end of 2011. It was closed among other reasons after an attack by protesters against the building where it had its offices. (CG/transl.fl)