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Thursday 7 June 2012 - 08:49

Iran raises doubt on P5+1 will to hold fruitful talks

Story Code : 169007
Secretary of Iran
Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili
The other side's hesitation to hold a meeting between deputies and experts throws doubts on their resolve for successful talks in Moscow, Jalili said in a letter to EU Foreign Policy chief and the group's representative Catherine Ashton on Wednesday.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to hold progressive talks for cooperation based on a clear logic and specific initiatives,” he added.

The Iranian chief negotiator also pointed out that unless the P5+1 group gears up for meetings at experts and deputies level, holding further talks merely for the sake of discussions would be of no avail.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) have so far refused to discuss an agenda for the upcoming talks with Iran in Moscow on June 18-19.

On Tuesday, Deputy SNSC Secretary Ali Baqeri sent two separate letters to Ashton’s deputy Helga Schmid, stressing the importance of holding preparatory meetings before the upcoming negotiations between Iran and the P5+1.

In a brief response delivered by Schmid to Baqeri, however, Ashton refused to set a time for the preliminary meetings between her deputy and Baqeri to prepare an agenda for the Moscow talks, asking Tehran, instead, to adopt practical measures.

In the letter, Schmid has failed to make any mention of holding a deputy-level meeting before the major talks in Moscow, a move which contradicts the agreement made between the two sides during the Baghdad negotiations.

Iran and the P5+1 wrapped up their latest round of comprehensive talks in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on May 24 after two days of negotiations.
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