ISTANBUL: Iranian and foreign nuclear experts gathered in Istanbul on Monday to discuss Tehran's controversial atomic programme, a European Union spokeswoman said.
"The meeting is taking place at the expert-level as planned," said Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who is leading talks between Iran and the so-called P5 1 -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany.

The closed-door meeting is being held in a secret location in the Turkish city, Kocijancic added.

The West and Israel suspect Tehran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons under the guise of what the Islamic republic insists is a purely civilian programme with peaceful ends.

Iran and the P5 1 resumed discussions over the decade-old dispute late February after a months-long break and failed meetings in Istanbul, Baghdad and Moscow.

The talks -- held in Kazakhstan -- saw the five UN Security Council members and Germany offer Iran a softening of non-oil or financial sector-related sanctions in exchange for concessions over Tehran's sensitive uranium enrichment operations.

The offer reportedly involves easing sanctions on Iran's gold and precious metals trade and lifting some very small banking operations.

In return, it demands a tougher weapons inspection regime and the interruption of enrichment operations at the feared Fordo bunker facility where 20-percent enrichment goes on.

The talks were praised by Tehran as a possible turning point in the dispute, and the next political-level meeting takes place in the Kazakh city of Almaty on April 5-6.

By The Daily Star

 

The Iran Project is not responsible for the content of quoted articles.