Germany pleased with outcomes of Iran-world powers talks in Vienna

A German foreign ministry spokeswoman underlined that both Iran and the six major world powers are resolved to remove all barriers standing in the way of cutting a final nuclear deal before June. Speaking at a routine weekly government news conference on Friday, Sawsan Chebli said based on her assessment talks between the Sextet of world powers and Iran were good, constructive and substantial covering all aspects of Tehran's nuclear program relevant for a long-term deal. She voiced optimism about reaching a final nuclear deal, if talks will go on positively over the next months. The Fourth Round of talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) over a comprehensive, final deal is slated for the first half of the next month. "Iran and G5+1 will hold their next round of talks in Vienna on May 13-14," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and senior negotiator in talks with the six world powers Seyed Abbas Araqchi said in a press conference in Tehran on Wednesday. On Wednesday, deputy chief negotiators from Iran and the six world powers (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) wrapped up their second day of talks in Vienna. The talks were headed by Araqchi and EU foreign policy deputy chief Helga Schmidt. The talks started on Tuesday by a session presided by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the UN headquarters in Vienna, and continued by a meeting among the deputy chief negotiators of the seven nations. The talks between Tehran and the six world powers are part of efforts to seal a final deal on Iran’s nuclear energy program. Iran and the Group 5+1 representatives had several sessions of talks in Vienna on March 18-19. On November 24, Iran and the Group 5+1 sealed a six-month Joint Plan of Action to lay the groundwork for the full resolution of the West’s decade-old dispute with Iran over the latter's nuclear energy program. In exchange for Tehran’s confidence-building bid to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities, the Sextet of the world powers agreed to lift some of the existing sanctions against Tehran and impose no nuclear-related sanctions on Iran during the six-month period.