MUSCAT, November 11 (RIA Novosti) – The recent talks with Iran on its controversial nuclear program did not end in a deadlock despite certain difficulties that emerged, Russia’s chief negotiator said Tuesday.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who heads the Russian delegation to the talks, said that although “it would be wrong to speak about any kind of major progress” reached at the talks, “there was no setback, no disruption and no deadlock.”
The Russian negotiator said some progress was made in talks on certain issues, such as the Arak research reactor, the Fordow nuclear enrichment facility and general issues of transparency concerning the Iranian nuclear program.
“These issues look a bit better than they used to,” Ryabkov said.
The next round of talks between Iran and six world powers (five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) will take place in Vienna on November 18.
The West has accused Tehran of developing a nuclear weapon. Iran has denied the accusations, stressing the peaceful nature of its nuclear program. During talks held in Geneva in 2013, mediators agreed to reach a deal guaranteeing the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program by July 2014. The deadline for the agreement was later postponed to November 24, 2014.
