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Kerry: whether Iran may enrich uranium won't be resolved in first stage of talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday the issue of whether Iran will ultimately be allowed to enrich uranium will not be decided in an interim deal under discussion between major world powers and Iranian officials in Geneva. "Whatever a country decides or doesn't decide to do, or is allowed to do under the rules, depends on a negotiation," Kerry told reporters. "We are at the initial stage of determining whether or not there is a first step that could be taken, and that certainly will not be resolved in any first step, I can assure you." Separately, Vice President Joe Biden met with Democratic senators to discuss the Iran talks with them, the White House said in a statement. Biden emphasized that the goal of the talks is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and said that any relief from sanctions would be modest compared with the continuing overall impact of those sanctions. The 12 lawmakers met for two hours with Biden, the White House said. Attendees included Senators Richard Blumenthal, Ben Cardin and Elizabeth Warren. Major powers resumed talks in Geneva on Wednesday on a preliminary agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program. The United States has said it will be "very hard" to clinch a breakthrough deal this week. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton and Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Sandra Maler)