Iran, 5+1 agree to meet on May 23 after ‘useful’ talks

TEHRAN, April 16 (MNA) -- Iran and the six major powers agreed to meet on May 23 in Baghdad after the meeting they held in Istanbul on Saturday, which ended a 15-month hiatus in talks. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represents the 5+1 group (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany) in nuclear negotiations with Tehran, told a news conference after a day of talks that they had arranged to meet the Iranian delegation again in Baghdad on May 23, Reuters reported. “We want now to move to a sustained process of dialogue,” Ashton said, adding that negotiators would take a “step-by-step” approach. “We will meet on May 23 in Baghdad.” “The discussion on the Iranian nuclear issue has been constructive and useful,” she said. “We want now to move to a sustained process of serious dialogue, where we can take urgent, practical steps to build confidence.” The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, who headed the Iranian delegation, also told the news conference that there had been differences of opinion but that some important points had been agreed and that the next talks should focus on arranging measures to build mutual confidence. Western participants had said previously that agreeing to meet for a second round of talks would constitute a successful day. During the day’s meeting, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Rybakov, who led the Russian delegation, told Interfax news agency, “The atmosphere is constructive, the conversation is businesslike. As of the moment, things are going well.” EU foreign policy spokesman Michael Mann also said on Saturday that the meeting between Iran and the major powers had been “positive” and “totally different” than the last meeting.