Iranian, Russian foreign ministers meet ahead of Geneva talks

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran and Russia, Manouchehr Mottaki and Sergei Lavrov, met and conferred in New York on Monday 3 days ahead of resuming negotiations between representatives of Iran and 5+1G in Geneva.

According to IRNA correspondent in United Nations, the two countries’ top diplomats’ talks at UN headquarters took at least 15 minutes.
Mottaki said in an interview with IRNA and IRIB reporters after the meeting that he has consulted with his Russian counterpart about bilateral ties, the contents of the upcoming Iran-G5+1 October 1st negotiations, and regional developments.
He reiterated, “About negotiations with the UNSC big 5 plus Germany, Russian believes Iran’s proposed package of incentives needs to be carefully considered, and that that could be the basis for a positive and constructive approach based on which the two sides could reach a mutual work plan for the continuation of their negotiations.”
He added, “We evaluate that stand as positive and meanwhile believe the issues put forth at Iran’s proposed package of incentives are diversified and varied and if agreement is reached over them, we can establish separate work groups for each issue, but of course all those matters depend on how the Geneva talks would proceed.”
Mottaki said, “Russia is currently consulting the other members of the EU3+3 Group to formulate a constructive plan for the beginning of the upcoming negotiations over which both sides would be agreed.”
The Iranian diplomat said elsewhere in the interview, “The westerners made a big strategic mistake during the past couple of weeks based on wrong information provided for them and on that baseless basis the heads of three western countries, namely the United States, Britain, and France, we might say, made the gravest diplomatic mistake of their entire tenures.”
He added, “The two sources that have fed them such wrong data include the MKO and the British Intelligence Service that have unfortunately both goofed off and place Mr. Obama in a bad situation, so that he made comments but it was made clear a few hours later they were quite baseless.”
Mottaki said, “It is to their benefit to enter constructive, serious and comprehensive talks with Iran. The westerners have the files of four years of talks with Iran and they have seen Iran’s bravery in confrontation with their politicizing efforts during the past four yeas which is why they are now in need of revising their past policies.”
The foreign minister added, “I cannot say to what percent I am sure about the seriousness of the westerners in their upcoming negotiations, but I hope so, and this is in fact one of the characteristics of diplomatic work.”
Mottaki added, “We encourage them and truly believe it is to their benefit to enter the course constructive negotiations of October 1st.”

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