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Middle East and North Africa

Iran to resume expert-level negotiations in Geneva December 30

The upcoming talks will focus on developing a mechanism for applying the arrangements stipulated by the agreement, signed by the parties in Geneva

Iran's representative Abbas Araghchi AP Photo/German Government, Bergmann, Pool, File

Iran's representative Abbas Araghchi

© AP Photo/German Government, Bergmann, Pool, File

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TEHRAN, December 27. /ITAR-TASS/. Iran will resume expert-level negotiations in Geneva on December 30, the IRNA news agency reported on Friday.

The upcoming talks will focus on developing a mechanism for applying the arrangements stipulated by the agreement, signed by the parties in Geneva, the agency quotes a source close to the Iranian delegation of negotiators on Iran’s nuclear program. One the leaders of the Iranian delegation Abbas Araghchi had previously described the progress of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme as “slow.”

In November, Iran and the six international mediators (Russia, the United States, China, Britain, France, China and Germany, P5+1) agreed on measures to substantially reduce Iran's nuclear program. The main aim of a regular round of technical consultations is to work out a detailed plan for the implementation of the political agreements, reached at the ministerial level in Geneva at the end of November.

Then, after many-day negotiations, the P5+1 and Iran agreed on the so-called Joint Action Plan. According to this document, planned for six months, Tehran, among other things, undertook a commitment not to enrich uranium above the level of 5 percent, not to advance further in its activities at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant, at the Fordow facility and at the Arak reactor, not to create new enrichment facilities and allow large-scale inspection of its facilities by experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Western countries, in turn, agreed to partially ease economic sanctions against Iran.

These arrangements were described as “the first step,” which was to be replaced by a comprehensive agreement. It is intended, on the one hand, to fully remove the international community’s concerns over the possible military focus of Iran’s nuclear program, and on the other - to lift economic sanctions that are a serious obstacle to Iran’s economic development.

The upcoming negotiations of the sides will be the third expert-level meeting between Iran and the six international mediators.

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