FM: Goodwill Key to Settlement of Iran’s N. Standoff with West

18 September 2014 | 22:23 Code : 1938508 Latest Headlines

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister and top negotiator Mohammad Javad Zarif said goodwill on the part of the six world powers (the US, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany) in their talks with Tehran would lead to a permanent settlement of the decade-long nuclear crisis between the two sides.

"We have always said in our negotiations with the other side that if they show mutual respect and goodwill reaching a final and comprehensive agreement can easily be achieved," Zarif told reporters after his meeting with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in New York on Wednesday.

He noted that he held over three hours of talks with the EU foreign policy chief in New York yesterday.

Zarif left Tehran for New York on Tuesday morning to participate in the next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the six major world powers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting.

On September 1, Zarif and Ashton met in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss the process of the ongoing nuclear talks.

Last November, the two sides signed an interim deal in Geneva, which took effect on January 20 and expired six months later on July 20. In July, Tehran and the six countries agreed to extend negotiations until November 24 after they failed to reach an agreement on a number of key issues.