Secretary of State John Kerry gestures while participating in the Sixth Annual Washington Ideas Forum in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen[/caption]VIENNA: US Secretary of StateJohn Kerryand Iran's foreign minister will hold nuclear talks inOmanon around November 10, the Austria Press Agency reported Friday.
The meeting between Kerry andMohammad Javad Zarifcomes ahead of a final round of talks betweenIranand world powers inViennafrom around November 17, APA cited unnamed diplomatic sources as saying.
Iran and the five permanent members of theUNSecurity Council plus Germany (the P5+1) aim to reach a deal by November 24 on reining in Iran's nuclear programme.
Such an accord would ease fears, after a decade of rising tensions, that Tehran might develop nuclear weapons under the guise of its civilian atomic programme.
In return for reducing the scope of its activities and allowing closerUNinspections, Iran, which denies wanting the bomb, wants painfulUNand Western sanctions lifted.
Months of intense negotiations, including between Kerry and Zarif in mid-October in Vienna, have made some progress but appear deadlocked on the key issues of uranium enrichment and the pace of any sanctions relief.
Enrichment renders uranium suitable for nuclear power generation and other peaceful uses but also, at high purities, for a nuclear bomb.
Kerry said on Thursday that reaching a deal would requireIranto make "tough decisions"
Catherine Ashton, the outgoing EU foreign policy chief who will continue to chair the nuclear talks until November 24, will also be present in Oman, APA reported.
The news agency also said that chief negotiators from the six powers -- but withoutIran-- will meet inViennaon November 7.
Oman was where theUnited Statesand Iran reportedly held secret talks that laid the groundwork for an interim deal struck last November.
Important towards easing fears about Iran's nuclear programme is an ongoing probe by the UN atomic watchdog into suspected activities by Iran towards developing a nuclear weapon.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency watchdog, Yukiya Amano, said on Friday that progress in this probe has slowed in recent months and is now "limited".
"Initially Iran implemented the practical measures agreed with the agency... fairly well," Amano, who met Kerry on Thursday, told an event in Washington.
"However, since the summer of 2014 progress on implementing agreed measures has been limited," he said.
In particular Iran has still not provided information on two suspect areas, two months after an agreed August 25 deadline to do so, Amamo said.
By AFP
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