BRUSSELS: World powers gave Iran fresh details on a proposed deal aimed at ending international concern over Tehran’s nuclear programme during talks in Istanbul, the European Union said yesterday.
At the talks on Monday, experts from the five permanent UN Security Council members —Britain, China, France, Russia and the US —plus Germany “had technical discussions with Iran,” said a brief statement from a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
Monday’s technical exchange will be followed by political talks in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on April 5 and 6, said Michael Mann, the spokesman for Ashton, who heads the talks between the six powers and Iran. In Istanbul, the experts, led by Stephan Klement, “provided further details on the revised confidence building proposal” put forward by the western powers to Iran in talks in Almaty on February 26 and 27.
The six last month offered Iran a softening of non-oil or financial sector-related sanctions in exchange for concessions over Tehran’s sensitive uranium enrichment operations. The offer, reportedly involving easing sanctions on Iran’s gold and precious metals trade and lifting others on some very small banking operations, in return demands a tougher nuclear inspection regime and the interruption of enrichment operations at the Fordo bunker facility where 20-percent enrichment goes on.AFP
