U.S. seeks to play down expectations for Iran talks

Reuters
British Foreign Minister William Hague (L). gestures as he meets with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the beginning of their bilateral meeting at the United Nations in New York September 23, 2013. REUTERS/Jason DeCrow/Pool

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States does not expect this week's planned meeting between major powers and Iran's foreign minister on the Iranian nuclear program to resolve any issues but hopes it can chart a way forward, a senior U.S. official said. "While we do not anticipate that any issues will be resolved later this week during the P5+1 meeting that EU High Representative (Catherine) Ashton has organized, we are hopeful that we can continue to chart a path forward," a senior State Department official said. The P5+1 group - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States - is scheduled to meet with Iran's Jawad Zarif on Thursday. (Reporting By Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Bill Trott)