Iran n-talks gets into serious phase: Ashton

Geneva – Complicated talks on Iranian nuclear programme are getting into a “a serious phase”, a spokesperson for European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Thursday.

“Concrete progress” is hoped from ongoing talks between the P5+1 (Britain, China, France, Russia, US plus Germany) and Iran, said Michael Mann, Ashton’s spokesperson, told a press conference.

The official reiterated that the goal was to achieve the assurance from the Iranians for international community of the purely peaceful nature of their nuclear programme.

“We can achieve that if there is engagement from the Iranian side, and we can have an agreement at the end of the negotiating process that is fully verifiable,” he said.

Delegates of the six world powers, known as the P5+1 group, started another round of nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday.

In the two-day talks, the world powers are expected to seek a ” first step” deal with Iran on solving the nuclear problem, though both sides say an agreement is far from certain.

In the previous round of talks, held Oct 15-16, Iran proposed a plan as a basis for negotiation but details of the proposal were not disclosed.