MOSCOW, December 8. /TASS/. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini plans to participate personally in talks between the Sextet mediators and Iran at the level of ministers, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said.
The next round of six-party talks on Iran will be held before December 20, but not in Vienna, Ryabkov said on Monday. “It will be surely held before the New Year, but not in Vienna,” he said. “The 20th is already late, and so, it will be before December 20. It will be decided in the next few days,” Ryabkov said.
Russia participates in talks of the six parties and Iran not to do a favor to the United States, but since it believes that the settlement of the Iranian problem is in everyone's interests, Ryabkov said.
"As a representative to the talks, I want to emphasize that we participate in the talks not to do a favor to the United States and not as a concession,” the deputy foreign minister said. “We believe that to find a reasonable solution in talks to the Iranian problem is in the interests of all and first of all it is a way to prevent one more heavy international crisis potentially fraught with use of military force. Nobody can be interested in it,” the deputy foreign minister told the State Duma at parliamentary hearings on Russian-US relations.
Deadline for talks on Iran's nuclear program extended
In late November, representatives of Iran and the Sextet held intensive negotiations in Vienna during seven days aiming to reach a comprehensive deal on the Iranian nuclear program. However, the parties failed to agree by the previously set deadline — November 24. They also failed to work out the framework political document, determining only the conditions and timeframe of the negotiating process extension.
It was agreed that within the next four months, the negotiators would focus on reaching a political or general agreement and then would proceed to the agreement details linked with technical and legal issues. A seven-month period was allotted for the new round of the talks. Western diplomats suggested that the meetings may be held in Vienna or Oman.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said the negotiations with the six world powers were transparent and specific. Also, she dismissed the reports suggesting that the sides allegedly reached a certain compromise. The sides have considerably brought together their positions in the negotiations, she said, adding that some differences still remained.