World powers and Iran to hold more technical talks
By REUTERS
BRUSSELS - World powers and Iran agreed at a low-level meeting in Istanbul to continue technical talks over Tehran's nuclear program, European Union officials said on Wednesday, in hopes of salvaging diplomacy meant to resolve the decade-old dispute.After three rounds of political negotiations failed to secure a breakthrough earlier this year, the six powers and Iran went into technical discussions aimed at clarifying aspects of Tehran's nuclear energy work.Such technical talks, which began with a round in Istanbul on Tuesday, are intended to prepare ground for an eventual meeting of political negotiators who could, in time, reach an agreement.A spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who leads diplomatic efforts on behalf of the six - the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany - said senior EU and Iranian negotiators would hold follow-up talks."In Istanbul... experts explored positions on a number of technical subjects," Michael Mann said in a statement. No date was yet set for the next round.
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