Hours After NY N-Talks, Iran-IAEA Talks In Process In Vienna

Vienna, Sept 28, IRNA – Ten hours after the historic ministerial level nuclear talks between Iran and 6 world powers in New York, representative of Iran and UN nuclear watchdog are now pursuing their talks over Iran’s peaceful nuclear program in Vienna. This is the first round of Iran-IAEA nuclear talks following coming to power of the new Iranian government. The talks which began at 10 am local time at the building of the Islamic Republic of Iran Permanent Representative in Vienna is taking place after the last night publication of a letter published upon Tehran’s request at the IAEA in which Iran has bitterly criticized the agency’s secretary general Yokia Amano. His efforts during his years of heading the IAEA regarding Iran are considered as moves in line with the enemies of the Islamic Republic in the letter, which was considered by some western media, such as the BBC as a negative move before the Iran-IAEA Friday talks. Iran’s Ambassador and representative at the IAEA Reza Najafi is the head of the Iranian negotiating team in this new round of talks. Najafi replaced Iran’s former IAEA ambassador Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh shortly after President Hassan Rohani came to office. These talks are held after the Thursday evening New York ministerial talks between Iran and G5+1 foreign ministers, comprised of the Iranian, American, Russian, French, British, German and Chinese top diplomats, in which it was agreed that the next round of talks would be held 19 days later on October 15-16 in Geneva. The meeting which was held behind closed doors took about 30 minutes and Ms. Ashton in her briefing about it said that there would be another meeting in 19 days. She also said that 12 months would be an appropriate time for resolving the Iranian nuclear issue and evaluate the brief Thursday night New York talks as positive, obviously reacting to the Iranian foreign ministers previous hope for resolving them in 6, and maximum 9 months. Ashton also said that the next round of talks could either be based on the G5+1’s proposals (presented in Almaty), or on the Iranian side’s proposal. According to the IRNA correspondent in New York, minutes ago Mohammad Javad Zarif along with the Iranian team participating in nuclear negotiations met with his counterparts from the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany.” After Iran-G5+1 talks in New York, US Secretary of State John Kerry voiced his gratitude over the outcome of the G5+1s meeting with Iran, and said that the Iranian foreign minister put new options on the negotiation table. During the course of the previous years the entire talks between Iran and the G5+1 have been held at diplomatic levels lower than ministerial level and from Iran the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) was the head of the Iranian delegation in the nuclear negotiations. Zarif’s presence by the side of his counterparts, including the US secretary of state, with his meaningful smiles, proved that the speculations of the Iranian and western commentators during the previous months have enter a practical phase. ** British foreign secretary praises the “spirit and tone” of talks The British Foreign Secretary William Hague, too, said at a press conference after the talks that the spirit and tone of the talks were very positive and constructive. Many analysts have expressed optimism about this round of talks in New York at ministerial level – based on Iran’s initiative to replace its Supreme National Security secretary with the country’s FM as the IRI nuclear team’s head – which can lead to tangible results after years of paving a long and winding, and highly bompus road./end