P5+1 hopeful of Iranian flexibility at Almaty round - EU
ALMATY. Feb 26 (Interfax) - The P5+1 group is hopeful of Iranian flexibility but does not expect concrete decisions from the Almaty round, Michael Mann, press secretary of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, told a press briefing on Tuesday.
Mann said they would make a new proposal and expected Iran to be flexible. That would be a step forward, he added.
However, none of the parties to the round expected to reach a concrete agreement, he said.
The new proposal bears in mind the international concern about the Iranian program and responds to the Iranian ideas, Mann said. He said it was always a two-way process, which meant more proposals would be made.
The EU official said they sought to build up confidence with Iran and had made a new offer. The outcome of the round depends on the Iranian reaction, to a large extent. The ball is in the Iranian court; the intermediaries do not want negotiations for the sake of negotiations, they want to achieve results, Mann said.
He refused to disclose details of the new offer but said he might return to the press center later and give some details. As of now, the intermediaries would prefer presenting their ideas to Iran at the negotiating table, Mann said.
He said that current partnership with Iran did not have the desired level but progress was still made and they saw the Iranian wish to move on.
