GENEVA, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Representatives from world major countries and Iran met here on Sunday evening for fresh talks over Iran's disputed nuclear program.
Delegations from the P5+1 group, namely the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany, and Iran met "to continue their diplomatic efforts towards reaching a long-term, comprehensive solution to the Iranian nuclear issue", according to an earlier statement from the mediator European Union.
Wang Qun, Director-General of the Department of Arms Control of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and head of Chinese delegation, told reporters prior to the talks that the negotiations were now at "a crucial juncture".
As the negotiations for the Iranian nuclear program is coming to an end, detailed issues become more prominent and challenges mount, which will make the political resolution imperative and even more urgent, he said.
Wang stressed that how to manage both the political and technical issues, and how to show political decisiveness at a crucial juncture matter the most.
China hopes all sides will strengthen confidence, hold the consensus and inject more political impetus into the talks, in a bid to achieve a comprehensive deal as soon as possible, Wang said.
Sunday's meeting is preceded by the engagements between officials from the U.S. and Iran that started on Friday.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met on Sunday afternoon in an effort to narrow remaining gaps.
Prior to their meeting, Kerry said on Saturday in London that the current talks were very "technical", because all sides were pushing to reach agreement on "some very difficult issues". He also stressed that "there are still significant gaps; there is still a distance to travel".
Iran has been a target of United Nations sanctions due to its alleged attempts to build nuclear weapons. The West accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the cover of civilian nuclear programs, which Iran has denied, insisting that its nuclear programs are for peaceful purposes only.
The participating sides of the Iranian nuclear talks agreed in November 2014 to extend the deadline for another seven months and aimed to reach a political framework deal within the next four months.
However, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei expressed concerns over the two-phased arrangement earlier this month, saying a framework agreement on generalities may be abused by Iran's opponents as a tool for bargaining over details in the final deal.
How much nuclear capability Iran can keep, and the steps to lift West-imposed sanctions against Tehran are among main sticking points for the ongoing negotiations.
