Agreement Reached With British FM On Gradual Formalization Of Ties: Zarif

New York, Sept 25, IRNA – Visiting Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday that in his talks with British Foreign Secretary William Hague, the two agreed on step-by-step formalization of Tehran-London ties. Speaking to IRNA on the sidelines of the 68th meeting of the United Nations General Assembly here, Zarif said his talks with Hague were “positive and constructive”. Iran-Britain relations hit an all-time low in November 2011, when the two countries shut down their diplomatic missions as a result of Britain’s key role in the imposition of a new set of western sanctions against Iran and its repeated meddling in Iran’s domestic affairs. Iran recalled all its staff and closed its embassy in London after Britain recalled its diplomatic mission in Tehran due to protests in front of the British embassy by thousands of Iranian students who demanded severed ties with London. “The first meeting was good. We discussed bilateral ties and agreed on beginning of a process to normalize Tehran-London ties on a gradual basis,” Zarif told IRNA. He added that the two FMs also discussed major regional developments including situations in Syria and Afghanistan as well as Iran’s nuclear issue. Zarif said the two also discussed the issue of using chemical weapons in Syria and stressed the need for condemning the move and finding a way out of the ongoing Syrian crisis as well. “We agreed on generalities and will continue talks on detailed issues,” Zarif noted./end