Major countries, Iran reconvene in Lausanne for nuclear talks

Senior officials from Iran and the P5+1 countries (the United States, China, Russia, France, Britain, plus Germany) on Wednesday kicked off a new round of nuclear talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne.

The talks came after top U.S. and Iran diplomats held intensive bilateral meetings since Sunday. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met twice for more consultations.

The head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi and U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz also resumed technical negotiations.

A diplomatic source told Xinhua that a series of bilateral meetings were being held before the six countries sat together and exchanged views. However, delegations from P5+1 and Iran still had not met until the story went to press.

The delegates are seeking to reach a framework agreement ahead of the March 31 deadline.

Iranian state news agency IRNA on Wednesday quoted Zarif as saying that the nuclear talks have reached fine details which demand a lot of work.

The lead Iranian negotiator said: "We are trying to narrow the differences in some issues."

Kelsey Davenport, an expert with the U.S.-based think tank Arms Control Association, told Xinhua that all sides were making progress and they were closing the gaps on some of the most difficult issues, particularly in defining Iran's uranium enrichment program.

She said the sticking points probably have to do with defining the size and scope of Iran's uranium enrichment. "That's one of the most difficulties issues to resolve in the talks from the technical perspective," Davenport said. Endit