GENEVA, Jan. 18 (PNA/Sputnik) — A plenary session of the so-called P5+1 group of international mediators on the Iranian nuclear program is underway without Tehran’s participation, RIA Novosti reported Sunday.
The Iranian delegation is expected to join the general meeting at 11 a.m. local time (10:00 GMT).
Russia’s envoy in negotiations, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, held bilateral talks earlier with Iranian and Chinese delegations.
On Thursday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told RIA Novosti that it was too early to tell if Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s “tense and serious” meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry held on Wednesday produced any tangible results.
The P5+1 group consisting of US, UK, Russian, French, German and Chinese negotiators initiated diplomatic efforts in 2006 to facilitate the peaceful application of Iran’s nuclear program. Since then, the group has held several meetings with Iran, but the sides have failed to reach a compromise.
The latest round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 group did not yield a comprehensive deal and the sides agreed to extend negotiations until July 2015. (PNA/Sputnik)