Senior Iranian Negotiator Satisfied with "Highly Positive" Atmosphere of Geneva Talks

(FNA)- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi underlined that the first session of the Tuesday talks between Tehran and the world powers was held in a "highly positive" atmosphere, adding that the two sides discussed the general issues of the plans presented for the settlement of the nuclear standoff in the morning meeting.

"The negotiations were held in a highly positive atmosphere and the two sides were serious when speaking of their issues," Araqchi, who is the spokesman of the Iranian team of negotiators, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday after the first session of talks in the morning.

In the morning session, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif started the talks on the Iranian side and presented Tehran's new package of proposals to the opposite side, but he would not attend the afternoon session, and Araqchi would take the lead for the Iranian side.

Zarif has announced that he would come back to lead the Iranian team in the talks when his counterparts from the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) take part in the negotiations. At present, the talks are held at the level of deputy foreign ministers.

Asked about Iran's new package of proposals, Araqchi said the package is secret and the two sides have agreed to keep it secret until an agreement is made.

"Mr. Zarif had a powerpoint presentation of the plan in details, the generalities of the plan were discussed in the morning session and the details will be studied by (the two sides') political directors in the afternoon," Araqchi added.

He said that Zarif and EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton who represents the six world powers in the nuclear talks with Tehran will not be present in the afternoon session.

Araqchi expressed the hope that the representatives of Iran and the G5+1 would be able to make a decision on the date of the next round of the talks between the two sides during the Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday sessions.

Zarif, heading a high-ranking delegation, left Tehran for Geneva on Monday. His accompanying delegation is comprised of Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyed Abbas Araqchi, Foreign Ministry's Director-General for the Economic and Specialized International Affairs Hamid Ba'eedinejad, Legal Advisor to the Foreign Ministry Davoud Mohammadnia, and Mohammad Amiri from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).

Iran and the world powers held a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York in September and decided to meet again in Geneva on October 15-16.