Ashton to host Iran nuclear talks at political director level
15 November 2012, 15:03 CET
(BRUSSELS) - European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will chair a meeting November 21 of political directors from six major powers to discuss Tehran's contested nuclear drive, her office said Thursday.
The Brussels meeting will be the first on the sensitive issue since the US election and comes ahead of an expected round of talks with Iran by early 2013 at the latest.
The directors from the so-called P5+1 group -- the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany -- last met to discuss Iran in New York in September.
Ashton's office said the encounter was part of "consultations to find a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue."