Iran finalizes first stage of talks with P5+1

The first stage of nuclear talks between Iran and six major powers, including the U.S., the UK, France, Russia, China plus Germany finished, Fars News Agency reported.

An Iranian official anonymously told Fars that Iran offered "comprehensive proposals" for P5+1, without giving detailed information.

No further information was provided on the proposals the P5+1 group made to Iran, and what Iran offered to the Western diplomats.

The second stage of nuclear talks will be held in a few hours.

Iran's team of nuclear negotiators headed by Secretary of the country's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan on Feb. 24.

The P5+1 team of negotiators is being headed by the European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Earlier Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that the negotiations between Iran and P5+1 group in Kazahstan will not bring any significant results, however Moscow hopes for Tehran being better prepared for the dialogue with the Six powers.

In 2012, representatives of P5+1 group and Iran held three rounds of talks in Istanbul (April 14), Baghdad (May 23-24) and Moscow (June18-19). None of these meetings resulted in breakthroughs on disputed nuclear issues.

Previously talks between the "Six Powers" and Iran were not conducted for over a year.

The U.S. and its Western allies suspect Iran of developing a nuclear weapon - something that Iran denies. The Islamic Republic has on numerous occasions stated that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, using nuclear energy for medical researches instead.

Despite the rules enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitling every member state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions for turning down West's calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment.


/Trend/