Iran, world powers to push new nuclear talks

TEHRAN - Iran and the world powers are likely to meet next month to continue the talks on the remaining issues pertaining to Tehran's nuclear program, Iran's nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying by Press TV on Tuesday.

It had been previously agreed that with the start of the implementation of the first step of the Geneva deal on January 20, negotiations would begin shortly on the final step, Araqchi said, adding that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will discuss on the time, venue, level and manner of the negotiations.

Over the next days, at a potential meeting between Ashton and Zarif on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland or at the Munich Security Conference next week, the next round of nuclear negotiations would probably be decided on, he was quoted as saying.

As a part of the interim deal clinched in Geneva last November between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Russia, China, France, Britain, US plus Germany, Iran suspended 20 percent uranium enrichment as of January 20.

Iran also started the process to dilute and oxidize its 196-kg- stockpile of 20-percent enriched-uranium.