Araghchi, Schmid meet in Vienna before joint commission meeting

EghtesadOnline: Iranian nuclear team comprising Foreign Ministry deputies Abbas Araqchi and Majid Takht-e Ravanchi conferred with the European Union official Helga Schmid prior to the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna on Tuesday.

News ID: ۷۳۹۱۳۸

11 January 2017

The meeting lasted for one hour.

The two sides are to hold another meeting at noon today before proceeding to the Joint Commission session, ILNA reported.

The meetings serve to harmonize the topics to be raised by both parties during the Joint Commission’s meeting.

The Joint Commission is to hold a session today upon the Dec 16 request of the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to discuss the US lack of commitment to the JCPOA and extension of Iran Sanctions Act by the American lawmakers.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Joint Commission is to be held between Iran and P5+1 representative in Vienna on Tuesday.

The event will be held at deputy ministerial level and will be co-chaired by Iran's Foreign Minister Deputy for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi and the Secretary-General of the European External Action Service Helga Schmid.

The meeting will focus on the process of JCPOA implementation and review Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's letter to the EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini about the US sanctions renewal.

No statement will be published in Tuesday meeting and the Iranian and American delegations are to hold a bilateral meeting before the meeting of the Joint Commission.

In his letter to Mogherini which was sent on December 16, 2016, Zarif called on the Joint Commission of the JCPOA to convene and discuss the US breach of the landmark nuclear deal which was made in 2015 between Iran and the world six major powers (US, Britain, Russia, France and China plus Germany).

The letter was written in reaction to extension of the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) by the US lawmakers in December 15. Iran has considered the move as a breach of the historic nuclear deal.

Zarif urged Mogherini to inform the JCPOA parties to pave the way for holding JCPOA Joint Commission as well as the sanctions work groups to review the ISA extension.

Meanwhile, the US Department of State in a statement announced that Deputy Secretary of State Thomas A. Shannon Jr. is to leave US on Monday to take part in JCPOA Joint Commission.