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               Iran, World Powers Set for Talks on Nuclear Issue

   World leaders hold nuclear talks Thursday with Iran`s top diplomat,
   amid fresh signs Tehran is looking to negotiate a settlement to the
   dispute.
   The meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly is aimed at
   restarting the so-called P5+1 nuclear talks, which were last held in
   April. It will mark the highest level interaction in six years between
   Washington and Tehran, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his
   Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif attend the meeting, along with
   officials from Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany.
   The talks comes a day after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said he
   wants a deal with the West on his country`s nuclear program in three to
   six months.
   President Rouhani told the Washington Post Wednesday the "only way
   forward" is for a timeline to be inserted into the talks, saying a
   quicker deal is "more beneficial to everyone."
   Mr. Rouhani also said Iran is willing to take unspecified transparency
   measures to show its uranium enrichment program is peaceful.
   Echoing recent comments to other U.S. media, Mr. Rouhani insisted
   Iran`s Supreme Leader Ali Khameini has given him full authority to
   solve the nuclear issue.
   If such a deal could be reached, he said it could serve as a "beginning
   point" toward improving relations with Washington. The two countries
   have not had diplomatic relations since 1980.
   Earlier Wednesday, Mr. Rouhani said he was open to a future meeting
   with President Barack Obama. But he said he did not shake hands with
   the U.S. leader at the U.N. this week because the timing was not right.
   Thursday`s meeting is seen as a key test of Iran`s commitment to
   resolving the nuclear issue.
   At his speech to the General Assembly on Tuesday, Mr. Rouhani repeated
   Iran`s long-standing demand that world leaders recognize its right to
   continue enriching uranium for peaceful purposes.
   The U.S. and its allies suspect the program is secretly aimed at
   building a bomb, and have helped implement several rounds of sanctions
   that have crippled Iran`s economy.
   U.S. officials have welcomed Mr. Rouhani`s less aggressive posture than
   his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but say they are looking for
   concrete actions to back up his words.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/iran-world-powers-set-for-talks-on-nu
   clear-issue/1757423.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/iran-world-powers-set-for-talks-on-nuclear-issue/1757423.html