Iran says to write to EU on date for nuclear talks

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator will write to the European Union “soon” to discuss a date and venue for fresh talks on Tehran’s atomic programme, the official IRNA news agency said Sunday.

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili will write a letter to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton “which may be sent soon, in the coming days”, IRNA quoted Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi as saying in Addis Ababa, where he is attending an African Union meeting.

“Mr Jalili will give Iran’s views about the time and venue of the (next) negotiations and of course Mr Jalili if he deems suitable he may reflect his views in the letter.”

He did not specify whether this would be in reply to a letter that Ashton sent to Jalili in October on behalf of permanent UN Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, and non-permanent member Germany.

That letter stated that “we can achieve a full settlement only by focusing on the key issue, which are the concerns about the nature of your nuclear programme, as reflected in IAEA reports.”

Salehi was quoted as saying that the next round of talks were likely to be a “success since both sides are interested to find a solution for Iran’s nuclear issue.”

The last talks between the two sides took place in Istanbul a year ago and produced no results.

Since then, tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme, particularly between Washington, EU and Tehran, have escalated dramatically.