Iran FM has ‘high hopes’ for Moscow nuclear talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Friday expressed “high hopes” that a new round of nuclear talks in Moscow this month will succeed if world powers come with a “positive” approach. Speaking during a visit to New Delhi, the foreign minister acknowledged that Iran and the P5+1 group will face “difficult negotiations” at the June 18-19 talks in Moscow, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.
But Salehi said the Islamic republic remains optimistic saying the “direction” of the talks so far has been good.
“In any case it is difficult negotiations and both parties should act and accelerate this process in a way so this case bears fruit as soon as possible satisfying both parties,” Salehi told IRNA in New Delhi. “The direction (of the talks) is correct and given this we have high hopes on the negotiations success,” he added. Iran and the P5+1, which comprise the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, have previously met in April in Istanbul and again in May in Baghdad.
“We hope that in the Moscow meeting the other party enters the talks with a positive approach,” Salehi said.
At the May 23-24 talks in Baghdad the negotiations exposed a gulf between the two sides’ positions that looked almost unbridgeable, and nearly caused the talks to collapse.