Brussels, 09/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif voiced optimism, when speaking on 8 January, on the forthcoming activation of the nuclear deal reached on 24 November. Helga Schmid, EEAS Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs, met Iran's chief negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, in Geneva on 9 January, with a further meeting scheduled for 10 January.
“The nuclear talks are continuing with seriousness and a strong political will”, Zarif underlined on the social network Facebook, adding that the technical talks have produced “positive results”. The minister said that Iran is extremely earnest in its determination to pursue talks after the entry into force of the six-month agreement, in order to obtain an overall agreement.
During their meeting, Schmid and Araghchi are above all expected to focus on the remaining issues left outstanding since technical discussions end 2013 on the setting in place of the joint action plan (see EUROPE 10991). According to the Iranian side, the talks must settle several issues of a political nature in order to agree on a date when the agreement will take effect. The Iranians have mooted 20 January as a possible date. (CG/transl.jl)