China to attend fresh round of talks on Iran

BEIJING - China will attend the sixth round of talks on the Iranian nuclear issue in Vienna from July 2 to 15, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

Wang Qun, director-general of the Department of Arms Control of the Foreign Ministry, will head the delegation, spokesman Hong Lei said at a regular news briefing.

Iran and the P5+1, including China, France, Russia, Britain, the United States, and Germany, will continue to negotiate a comprehensive deal on resolving the Iranian nuclear issue in Vienna.

All sides are expected to bring about a comprehensive nuclear agreement before the deadline of July 20 as specified during a deal struck in November.

The fifth round of Iranian nuclear talks concluded on June 20 in Vienna with some progress on drafting the framework of a final deal, while gaps on some topics remained.

China supports the parties in achieving a fair, equal and mutually beneficial agreement at an early date, Hong said, calling for respect and equal treatment among members.

"All the sides should honor credibility to enhance mutual trust and show flexibility to work out differences," Hong said.

He said China would work with all the participants in the talks to realize the shared goal.

Western states suspect Iran has been developing atomic weapons under cover of its civilian nuclear plan, while Iran dismisses the allegation, saying its nuclear program is solely peaceful and the allegation is baseless.