'Top diplomats to join Iranian n-talks by weekend'

Vienna, July 8 (IANS) In a bid to promote the final round of Iranian nuclear talks, some foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany are expected to meet here Friday, Xinhua reported citing diplomatic source Monday.

The final round of Iranian nuclear talks made little progress in the first week's negotiations, as the substantial gaps remain unresolved.

US Secretary of State John Kerry may join the foreign minister meeting following his scheduled trip to China, Diplomatic source said. But except Kerry, it is still unclear which countries would join the meeting by the end of this week.

The talks are seen as the last opportunity to resolve the long-disputed Tehran atomic plan by July 20, when the Geneva interim deal is set to expire.

Iran and the P5+1 group reached the landmark interim deal in Geneva, under which Iran would suspend some sensitive nuclear activities in exchange for limited sanction relief in six months' duration, buying time for diplomatic work to find a comprehensive solution for the issue.

Powers demand Iran to significantly scale back its nuclear programme to address the world's concern, while Tehran insists that its nuclear right is inalienable.

Western states have long suspected the real intention of Iran's atomic plan, saying Iran might covertly develop nuclear weapons, an allegation Tehran denies.