Zarif: Talks with Ashton positive

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif voiced satisfaction with his talks with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. “We had good talks and we hope that the negotiations will proceed and we will approach results,” Zarif said Wednesday night after his meeting Ashton. “Tomorrow Mrs. Ashton and I will talk on how we can prepare a final text (of agreement) that might start with writing the draft agreement or with dialogue about the subjects or concepts,” the Iranian foreign minister said. He stressed that the talks should proceed on the basis of mutual respect "and if we proceed with this tendency we will get closer to achieving the result". Zarif met Ashton (who presides over the delegations of the six world powers in the talks with Iran) in Geneva on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments before the start of the high-profile Iran-G5+1 talks. Ashton chaired a meeting of the E3/EU+3 Political Directors ahead of her bilateral meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister. On November 7-9, Iran and the major world powers held three days of intense discussions in the Swiss city of Geneva. The two sides did not reach an agreement but stressed that significant progress had been made and expressed optimism about the prospects of a possible deal in the future. The next round of the talks between Iran and the six countries is slated to open today in the Swiss city.