'EU determined to achieve Iranian nuclear deal'

Brussels, July 3 (IANS) The European Union (EU) is “determined” to achieve a final and comprehensive agreement in the new round of Iran’s nuclear talks that started Wednesday in Vienna, EU’s foreign policy spokesperson Michael Mann said.

“We are determined. We hope Iran comes with a positive and realistic attitude,” Xinhua quoted the spokesperson as saying.

EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is chairing the talks on behalf of the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, known as the 5+1 group.

This round of talks “are extremely important,” Mann said. A final agreement would “reassure the international community definitively about the purely peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear programme”.

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The current talks between Iran and the 5+1 group are aiming for a landmark nuclear deal, for which a July 20 deadline has been set. The negotiations began on July 2 and are expected to continue until at least July 15.

Asked what might hinder the talks from bearing fruit, Mann said: “We need a comprehensive agreement under which Iran would promise to meet all its international obligations as set out under United Nations Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board Resolutions.”

He refused to comment on the results if the talks fail to bring about the deal. “That is speculation. We are doing all we can to reach a deal,” he said.

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