The European Union's foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton reissued an invitation to Iran on Friday to hold talks on its nuclear program in Vienna next month, after receiving no formal reply to a previous invitation.
In a letter to Iran's ambassador to the European Union seen by Reuters, Ashton invites Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili to hold talks from Nov. 15-17 in the Austrian capital, with the discussions to cover the nuclear program and "any other items pertinent to the discussion".
"The meeting could start with a dinner on Nov. 15, followed by two days of consultations to enable substantial discussions," reads the letter. "Given the proximity of the suggested dates and the diary constraints of the parties involved, I do hope for your early and positive response."
Iran has indicated through its media that it welcomes the offer of talks, the first in more than a year, but has not yet formally replied to the invitation first announced on Oct. 14.