UN sec gen, Russia call for Iran-5+1 talks to continue

TEHRAN,June 23(MNA) - Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon have called for talks between Iran and the six major powers over the country’s nuclear program to continue. Iran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) held a new round of talks in Moscow on June 18 and 19. The negotiations in the Russian capital were a continuation of talks that were held in Istanbul on April 14 and in Baghdad on May 23 and 24. During the talks in Moscow, the two sides agreed to hold expert meetings in Istanbul on July 3. Lukashevich, during a press conference in Moscow on Thursday, stated that the unprecedented high frequency of the talks itself is “a significant achievement, taking into account the issue’s history and a serious lack of trust between the parties,” the Xinhua News Agency reported. Though huge differences remain, the work must continue, he said, adding that the Moscow talks were “more substantial than the previous one.” The “essence of the problem” during the negotiations was that relevant parties have different priorities for their tasks, which made it hard to reach reconciliation for further steps, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman stated. The fact that both sides agreed to hold expert meetings in Istanbul in July proves that the parties are seeking to move forward, Lukashevich added. Ban calls for new intensity of efforts to resolve dispute over Iran nuclear issue The UN secretary general on Wednesday expressed regret at the failure to make progress at talks between Iran and world powers and called for a new “intensity” of efforts to help resolve the dispute over the country’s nuclear program. Ban “regrets” that the talks “were unable to reach agreement on concrete and reciprocal measures at their meeting in Moscow,” his spokesman Martin Nesirky said, AFP reported. The UN secretary general hopes that “the parties strengthen their resolve to quickly achieve a negotiated solution that restores international confidence in an Iranian nuclear program that could be deemed exclusively peaceful.” He appealed to both sides “to resume their diplomatic engagement with renewed intensity and with the utmost flexibility.”