28-03-2024 11:47 PM Jerusalem Timing

Zarif, Kerry to Meet in Geneva on Saturday

Zarif, Kerry to Meet in Geneva on Saturday

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his US counterpart John Kerry will meet in the Swiss city of Geneva on Saturday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L), Iranian FM Mohammad Jawad Zarif (R)Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his US counterpart John Kerry will meet in the Swiss city of Geneva on Saturday.

Araqchi, also senior Iranian negotiator in talks with the world powers, said that the consultations by the Iranian and US foreign ministers will help reduce the existing differences between Tehran and the world powers as well as help remove differences over writing the text of final agreement.

The upcoming meeting between Zarif and Kerry will be the first one since the recent approval of the US Congress on obliging the Obama administration to represent a report to the congress on its possible agreement with Iran over the nuclear issues.

Zarif on Tuesday urged P5+1 to take a realistic approach in nuclear negotiations.

Speaking to reporters, Zarif said that if the other parties to the talks take a realistic approach in negotiations, Iran and P5+1 can reach a final deal.

He added that nuclear talks would continue and the new round of writing the draft of final deal will start today.

He said that dispatch of humanitarian aid to Yemen, establishment of ceasefire there as well as start of Yemeni-Yemeni talks were three topics of Iran's proposal on resolution of Yemen crisis that were discussed with Omani officials.

Iran and the P5+1 – the US, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany – are engaged in intensive negotiations to work out a comprehensive agreement aimed at ending the longstanding dispute over the Islamic Republic’s civilian nuclear program.
Iran and the P5+1 along with officials from the European Union reached a framework agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program on April 2 in the Swiss lakeside city of Lausanne.

The two sides are set to start drafting a final accord, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which is expected to come until the end of June.