Fifth round of Iranian nuclear talks kick off in Vienna

VIENNA, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran and six major states on Monday resume a new round of nuclear talks in Vienna, trying to work on the drafting of the final agreement.

Based on the interim deal reached in Geneva last November, Iran and six major powers including Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany are trying to find a final solution for the decade-old dispute over Iran's nuclear issue by July 20.

After meeting with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton Monday in the capital city of Austria, Iran's chief negotiator and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters that he hopes the talks can "get ready for moving forward."

He also told Iranian media that Iran and the six major states will review nuclear-related issues once again in their plenary meeting on Tuesday.

Iran had held bilateral meetings with France, Russia and Germany before the talks in Vienna. Iranian officials had told Iranian media that these meetings were important for the Vienna talks.

The most significant gap between Iran and the West is about Iran's nuclear fuel production capacity, which western states fear that Iran could make a nuclear bomb if Tehran's nuclear production capacity is not restricted.

Last week, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told French media that there was deep division over the number of centrifuges for enriching uranium that Iran will be able to hold on to under an agreement.

"We say that there can be a few hundred centrifuges, but the Iranians want hundreds of thousands, so we're not in the same framework," Fabius said.

But a senior U.S. official said "we understand each other better and we see areas where we can close the gaps," noting that all sides are trying to engage in the talks in a positive way of thinking.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns would be among the U.S. officials taking part in the fifth round of Iranian nuclear talks.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2014-06/17/c_126627720.htm