Military Issues Have No Place In Nuclear Talks

Tehran, Feb 18, IRNA – Foreign Ministry spokeswoman on Tuesday stressed that military issues have no place in the nuclear talks between Iran and the Group 5+1. Reiterating Tehranˈs firm stance on negotiations with the 5+1 only within the framework of the nuclear issues, Marziyeh Afkham said, ˈMilitary issues have nothing to do with the nuclear issue and therefore will not be discussed in the talks.ˈ Speaking to domestic and foreign reporters at her weekly press appearance, Afkham said Iranˈs negotiating team will follow up the agenda of the talks with ˈsensitivity and insistence.ˈ Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has previously stressed that the upcoming talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 would only be limited to the issues agreed in the Joint Plan of Action singed on November 24, 2013. Afkham said Tehran rejects claims that military issues will be discussed in the talks between Iran and the worldˈs Sextet (US, Britain, Russia, China and France plus Germany). The new round of Iran-5+1 talks will begin at the United Nations European headquarters in Vienna today in the presence of Zarif and the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. The two sides are to reach final comprehensive agreement during this round of negotiations./end