He pointed to the recent statements of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and said the Russian foreign minister underlined that Iran and the West can reach an agreement in the talks.
“Iran and the six world powers could agree on a road map for ending the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear energy program,” Lavrov told reporters in Moscow on Friday.
The Russian foreign minister, however, reiterated that Iran should be allowed to have a peaceful nuclear program under the surveillance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Baranov described the role of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in the recent talks in Geneva as positive.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and senior negotiator in talks with the world powers Seyed Abbas Araqchi stressed that the G5+1 has accepted Tehran’s proposed framework to continue the talks, adding that both sides are resolved to endorse an agreement.
“The first session of the new round of negotiations between Iran and the G5+1 was held and we reviewed the last Geneva meeting (held on October 15 and 16) and the G5+1 announced that they have accepted Iran’s proposed framework,” Araqchi told Iranian reporters after the end of the first session of the talks between the two sides in Geneva on Thursday.
In relevant remarks last week, Michael Mann, spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, announced that Iran and the G5+1 are holding the most serious part of their talks to settle the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program.
“The negotiations are highly complicated and have reached a serious stage but we cannot discuss the details since we want to focus on the contents,” Mann told reporters in a press conference after the start of the first round of talks between Iran and the world powers in Geneva.
He described as good the meetings held between the two sides, including the breakfast meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Ashton, to confer on the latest developments in the talks between Tehran and the G5+1, and said, “Other meetings are also due to be held this afternoon within different frameworks.”
Asked about the G5+1’s efforts to respond to Iran’s proposal for finding common goals, Mann said, “First, we should be assured that the nuclear goals of the Iranian side are peaceful and then we can come close to a common goal.”
Also, asked about certain sides, specially the Israeli officials’, opposition to the removal of the sanctions against Iran, he said, “We negotiate to reach a good and verifiable agreement to guarantee that the agreement is good for all.”
