Iranian SNSC secretary, EU foreign policy chief to meet in Istanbul Tuesday

TEHRAN,Sept.18(MNA) – EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will meet the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, in Istanbul Tuesday, Ashton’s office said on Monday, AFP reported. Ashton represents the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) in nuclear negotiations with Iran, and Jalili is Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator. A spokeswoman for Ashton said on Monday that the meeting “is part of continuing efforts to engage with Iran, led by the High Representative, and in line with the understandings reached at the negotiating round in Moscow in June.” “While it is not a formal negotiating round, the meeting will be an opportunity to stress once again to Iran the need for an urgent and meaningful confidence building step and to show more flexibility with the proposals… tabled in Baghdad (on May 23 and 24),” she stated. The 5+1 group has demanded that Iran halt 20 percent enrichment, shut down the Fordo uranium enrichment facility near Qom, and ship all of its stocks of 20 percent enriched uranium out of the country. Iran’s main demand is that its right to uranium enrichment, as enumerated in the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, be recognized. The latest round of high-level talks between Iran and world powers was held in Moscow on June 18 and 19. After the Moscow talks, both sides agreed to hold expert talks, the most recent round of which was held in Istanbul on July 24. No decision has yet been made on the next round of formal negotiations. Ashton held a telephone conversation with Jalili on August 2 to discuss the resumption of talks. Jalili traveled to Istanbul on Monday to hold talks with Turkish officials on the latest regional and international developments. A diplomatic source in Istanbul on condition of anonymity told AFP on Monday, “Jalili wanted to come to Turkey to discuss the latest developments on the Iranian nuclear issue.”