The Sunday meeting between the top Iranian and US diplomats comes as part of broader negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 countries aimed at clinching a final deal over Tehrans nuclear program.
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, Iranian deputy foreign ministers Abbas Araqchi and Majid Takht-e Ravanchi, US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman are also present in the talks.
Following his meeting with Kerry, Zarif is also scheduled to sit down with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, who is slated to join the discussions in the Swiss city.
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, and US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz are set to resume talks on technical issues, while Iranian deputy foreign ministers Abbas Araqchi and Majid Takht-e Ravanch will also meet with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman later in the day.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammondare also expected to join the talks in Lausanne with separate talks scheduled between the two and Zarif on Sunday.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="554"]
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (L) gestures towards his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif (2nd L) and Irans Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi (3rd L) as they take their seats at the opening of a bilateral nuclear meeting in Lausanne on March 28, 2015. AFP[/caption]On Saturday, Zarif held separate talks with his German and French counterparts over the outstanding issues between the parties to the negotiations.
He described his talks with Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Laurent Fabius as very good and said, We discussed all the issues that need to be resolved.
I think we can in fact make the necessary progress to be able to resolve all the issues and write them down in a text that willbecome the final agreement. It depends on how long it will take to do that but we are prepared to work diligently in order to move forward and I think that there is every indication that we can in fact move forward, Zarif said.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="554"]
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (2nd L), US Secretary of State John Kerry (C), French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (R) and others wait for the start of a trilateral meeting at the Beau Rivage Palace Hotel in Lausanne on March 28, 2015. AFP[/caption]Meanwhile, Kerry also held trilateral talks with Steinmeier and Fabius on Saturday.
Iran and the P5+1 countries - the US, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany - have been negotiating to reach a comprehensive deal on the Islamic Republics nuclear program. The two sides have set July 1 as the deadline for a final agreement.
By Press TV
