Iran nuclear talks could resume soon - Cathrine Ashton

E3+3 countries are willing to meet with Iran within weeks if it is prepared to "engage seriously in meaningful discussions" and address concerns about its nuclear program, the European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told Tehran in a letter on Friday, Trend cites Reuters.

In a response to a proposal of new talks sent by Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili last time, Ashton made clear her position that there must be no repeat of the last round of talks, which took place in January in Istanbul and ended with no progress.

If Iran is ready to discuss concrete confidence-building measures without pre-conditions, "we would be willing to agree on a next meeting within the coming weeks at a mutually convenient venue," Ashton said.

"I welcome your suggestion to resume talks, in order to take fundamental steps for sustainable co-operation," she said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.

"When moving to continuation of our talks, it is crucial to look for concrete results and not to repeat the experience of Istanbul," Ashton said. "We have to ensure that when we meet again we can make real progress on the nuclear issue."

She said the goal "remains a comprehensive negotiated, long-term solution which restores international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature" of Iran's nuclear program.

"In order to start such a process, our initial objective is to engage in a confidence-building exercise aimed at facilitating a constructive dialogue on the basis of reciprocity and a step-by-step approach," the letter added.