US, Iran in nuclear talks

The talks, to be held in Geneva on Monday and Tuesday, will precede by a week the next round of negotiations between Iran and the so-called P5+1 group, made up of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany.

The aim of the P+1 talks is to finalize an interim deal on Iran's controversial nuclear program, which was reached last November. Under that deal, some penalties imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program, which the US and its allies fear it could be using to try to achieve a nuclear weapons capability, were eased. In return, Iran agreed to accept curbs on its nuclear enrichment activities.

However, the latest P5+1 talks in Vienna broke down last month, with the two sides accusing each other of making unrealistic demands.

November's breakthrough deal came after months of secret, informal talks between the Iran and a US diplomatic team led by Deputy Secretary of State William Burns. He and other members of that team are to be involved in this week's negotiations, something that was welcomed by Iran's chief negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, who told state television that he hoped Burns' role would be "as positive during these negotiations."

The latest diplomatic push to resolve the longstanding dispute comes just weeks before an informal July 20 deadline to reach a comprehensive deal, something Araqi said gave the bilateral meetings a greater sense of urgency.

'Serious phase'

"We have always had bilateral discussions with the United States in the margin of the P5+1 group discussions, but since the talks have entered a serious phase, we want to have separate consultations," Aracqi said.

The Associated Press cited an unnamed US official who said Washington was currently engaging "in as much active diplomacy as we can to test whether we can reach a diplomatic solution with Iran on its nuclear program."

While this week's talks are bilateral, the European Union's political director, Helga Schmid, is to sit in on them.

Iranian officials have said they are to hold talks with Russia later in the week and that they were hoping to schedule bilateral meetings with the other P5+1 members.

The two sides have been trying to resolve their differences over Tehran's nuclear program for years, but the process only seemed to pick up momentum after the election last summer of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is seen as more moderate than his predecessor.

pfd/ (AP, Reuters, AFP)