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Sextet seeks to shortly hold new round of talks with Iran

Efforts of the international community nowadays are aimed at suspending the activity of Iran to enrich uranium to a fissile concentration of 20 percent

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, July 16 (Itar-Tass) - All members of the sextet of international mediators (the United States, Russia, China, Great Britain, France and Germany) are interested in holding a next full-format round of talks with Tehran “shortly, as soon as the Iranian side is ready for that,” sources from the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday commenting on closed-door consultations in Brussels of the sextet’s political directors.

“The meeting has confirmed a bid of all participants to continue search for a comprehensive political-diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear problem on the basis of principles of phasing and reciprocity, including with due regard for statements by elected President of Iran Hassan Rouhani,” the sources said. The meeting particularly emphasized a need for a new full-format round of talks between the sextet and Iran “in the near future, as soon as the Iranian side is ready for that”.

The ministry also said that the head of the Russian delegation at talks, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had met with Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman on the sidelines of the consultations to discuss “topical issues of the international and bilateral agenda”.

The sextet of international mediators expects to resume talks with Tehran on its nuclear program as soon as possible, a statement by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton also said on Tuesday after the consultations.

According to available information, the next meeting of the sextet with Iran will not be held before new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is inaugurated on August 3, before the new government is formed and the lineup of the Iranian delegation is determined.

Efforts of the international community nowadays are aimed at suspending the activity of Iran to enrich uranium to a fissile concentration of 20 percent.

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