Iran, world powers make progress in n-talks

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton held discussions with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius Friday during the intensive talks between world powers and Iran, said her spokesman Michael Mann.

Fabius flew to Geneva Friday to join the talks between the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the US - plus Germany and Iran over the latter's controversial nuclear programme, reported Xinhua.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, British Foreign Secretary William Hague, and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle are also making unscheduled trips to Geneva to join the talks, which has raised the hope that an interim deal will be made after the negotiations.

"We are making progress in nuclear talks," Mann said after the conclusion of the first day's talks.

Delegates of the six world powers, known as the P5+1 group, started the fresh round of nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday.

In the two-day talks, the world powers were expected to seek a "first step" deal with Iran on solving the nuclear problem, though both sides say an agreement is far from certain.

In the previous round of talks, held Oct 15-16, Iran proposed a plan as a basis for negotiation but details of the proposal were not disclosed.