World powers want Iran nuclear talks to be postponed to February

TEHRAN,Jan.27(MNA) – World powers have requested that their negotiations with Iran over the country’s nuclear program be postponed from January to February. The request was made during a telephone conversation on Friday between Ali Baqeri, the deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Helga Schmid, the deputy of European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton who represents the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) in nuclear negotiations with Iran. Schmid said that the group is not ready to hold talks with Iran this month. However, Baqeri, the deputy of Saeed Jalili who is Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, said that Tehran is ready to hold talks in January and asked the 5+1 group to remain committed to the date agreed upon for talks. Earlier, the EU accused Iran of stalling on fixing a date and location for a new round of talks on its nuclear program, the latest round of which was held in Moscow on June 18 and 19, 2012.