DHAKA: Iran’s foreign minister and the EU’s top diplomat agreed during telephone call Sunday to postpone until after Christmas talks on implementing a landmark nuclear agreement.

Iran’s chief negotiator said, daily Hurriyet publishes this report on Monday.

‘During this telephone conversation, it was agreed to continue the negotiations, but with the Christmas holidays in sight it was decided to interrupt and resume (the talks) a week after the holidays,’ said Abbas Araqchi.

The Iranian nuclear negotiator said the agreement was reached during a call that lasted ‘45 minutes’ between Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Araqchi, who is also deputy foreign minister, said the discussions were progressing slowly because of ‘interpretations’ of points of the agreement that Iran and world powers clinched in Geneva on November 24.

The negotiations, which are aimed at setting a framework and a timeline for the nuclear accord, stretched into a fourth day in Geneva on December 22.

BDST: 1939 HRS, DEC 23, 2013
Edited by Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor