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Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

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Iran-World Powers Progressing in Nuclear Talks, Important Differences About Number of Centrifuges and Sanctions

March 30, 2015 

 

 
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif  

 

Iran nuclear talks hit hurdle ahead of deadline

Text by FRANCE 24 , 2015-03-30

Iranian officials changed their position on a key tenet of a proposed nuclear deal on Sunday, saying that they are no longer willing to send their enriched nuclear stockpiles to Russia for storage.

Iran’s apparent U-turn came just two days ahead of a deadline to reach an agreement over its controversial nuclear programme, raising fears that negotiations could still fall apart.

Iran had previously indicated that it was willing to cut the number of centrifuges it uses to fewer than 6,000 and send most of its enriched uranium stockpiles for storage in Russia, according to several officials.

But Iran’s senior negotiatior Abbas Araqchi told reporters on Sunday that dispatching stockpiles abroad “was not on Iran’s agenda”.

Foreign ministers from six world powers began their first full meeting with Iran’s foreign minister in Switzerland on Monday morning.

Iran has expressed guarded optimism that after 18 months of tortuous negotiations and two missed deadlines a breakthrough may be at hand.

"Getting to an accord is doable. Solutions have been found for numerous questions. We are still working on two or three issues... The talks are in their final phase and are very difficult," Araqchi said.

But German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Sunday there had been “some progress and some setbacks in the last hours”.

“I can’t rule out that there will be further crises in these negotiations,” he told reporters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China want more than a 10-year suspension of Iran’s most sensitive nuclear work.

“It has to be a deal which puts the bomb beyond Iran’s reach. There can’t be any compromise about that,” British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said.

Tehran, which denies it is trying to develop a nuclear weapons capability, is demanding an immediate end to international sanctions that are crippling its economy.

Israel warns against Iran deal

Meanwhile, Israel, which is believed to have the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal, has expressed its opposition to a deal with Iran.

“This deal, as it appears to be emerging, bears out all of our fears, and even more than that,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet in Jerusalem.

Referring to advances made by Houthi rebels allied to Tehran in Yemen, he accused the Islamic republic of trying to “conquer the entire Middle East”.

“The Iran-Lausanne-Yemen axis is very dangerous to humanity, and must be stopped,” Netanyahu said.

Israel has previously threatened to attack Iran if it is unhappy with an eventual deal.

US Republicans have also voiced their opposition to a possible deal, planning new sanctions against Iran.

"I just don't understand why we would sign an agreement with a group of people who in my opinion have no intention of keeping their word," US House Speaker John Boehner told CNN.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS)

 

Zarif: Iran, World Powers Progressing in N. Talks, Important Differences Still in Place

Mon Mar 30, 2015

TEHRAN (FNA)-

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif underlined that Tehran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, France and Britain plus Germany) have made progress in achieving solutions, but said the two sides still have to work on several important issues.

"We have made progress in reaching acceptable solutions, but we still have to work on some important issues; the key to striking an agreement lies in this strategic choice that the other side should make: pressure and sanctions or interaction and agreement by the other side," Zarif wrote on his facebook page.

He noted that both sides have been involved in difficult and intensive nuclear negotiations in the past few days and the arrival of G5+1 foreign ministers has made the situation more complicated.

Zarif described his meetings with his German and French counterparts as serious, but in the meantime positive.

"I have a very intensive program these days and in addition to negotiations, I have given a considerable amount of time to follow-up and consultations about regional problems caused by dangerous and hasty measures of the supporters of extremist and Takfiri groups which threaten our region and world; I hope we could stop the dangerous trend of war and division through consultations and cooperation with neighbors as well as realism and foresight," he added.

On Saturday, Zarif called on the G5+1 to show more flexibility in the talks with Iran, and said Iran is ready for striking a "good" final deal with the world powers.

"In negotiations, both sides must show flexibility. We are ready to make a good deal for all. We wait for our counterparts' readiness," Zarif wrote on his Twitter account.

Zarif voiced satisfaction in his afternoon meetings with his French and German counterparts, and said both sides have now grown a better understanding.

"I think we now have a better understanding of issues; I think we can move towards a solution through a common understanding," Zarif, also Iran's top negotiator in the nuclear talks with the world powers, said after his meetings with Laurent Fabius and Frank Walter-Steinmeier in Lausanne, Switzerland.

He said he has had very good meetings with the French and German foreign ministers, and said, "I think our German and French friends are willing to play a very direct role in both the settlement (of the nuclear issue) and in future relations; we discussed very good points on how to proceed and resolve the problems."

"We have always said that achieving a solution is possible with political will; from my meetings with German and French foreign ministers I realized that the other side has also entered the talks with the same interest," he added.

He pointed to his meetings with Fabius and Walter-Steinmeier, and said, "We discussed all issues which need to be resolved and I think we made progress and we are moving ahead; I think we can have the needed progress."

On Friday, Zarif underlined that major differences are still in place between Tehran and the six world powers, adding that striking a final deal depends on the political will of the other side.

"We are not close to a deal as reaching a comprehensive agreement needs political will and choosing between pressure and agreement," Zarif told reporters in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday night.

"We are proceeding, we still have work to do and we are trying hard," he added.

He reiterated that both sides can definitely find solutions, but reaching a solution requires political will from the opposite side.

“The reason why I emphasize the other side’s political will is that the Islamic Republic of Iran has the political will at the highest levels," he added.

Also on Friday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi also said there is still a serious gap between Tehran and the western powers.

"All differences are serious and we are trying to reduce these differences," Araqchi, also a senior negotiator in the talks with the world powers, told reporters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

"… we are still hopeful and optimistic, but it is still soon to state if we will be able to obtain a solution on all issues or not," he added.

He noted that both sides are trying to reach a solution on all issues first and then write down the solutions in black and white in the coming months.

Araqchi pointed to the Iran-G5+1 meetings on Friday, and said, "Bilateral and multilateral meetings at the level of experts, deputy FMs, and FMs will be held today and we hope these meetings lead to progress in the negotiations."

He noted that the Iranian negotiators will stay in Lausanne as long as needed.

Iran and G5+1 started their new round of talks in Lausanne on Thursday.

Zarif said last Saturday that Tehran and the 5+1 group of powers had found technical and political solutions to their differences.

"Proper technical and political solutions have been found for the issues which couldn't be solved in the past," Zarif wrote on his facebook page.

"We were ready for negotiations, but the other sides needed more time for coordination," he added.

"We have decided to return to Geneva on Wednesday to continue the talks, and God willingly, finalize the details of the solutions," Zarif said.

Iran and the G5+1 are negotiating to narrow their differences over Tehran's nuclear energy program ahead of a July 1 deadline.

Zarif underlined on Friday that the ball was in Washington's court to make a choice between a final deal or ineffective pressures against Tehran.

"Iranians have already made their choice: Engage with dignity," Zarif wrote on his Twitter account.

"It's high time for the US and its allies to chose: pressure or agreement," he added.

 

 Iran to Announce Number of Nuclear Centrifuges after March

Mon Mar 30, 2015

TEHRAN (FNA)-

The exact number of centrifuges for Tehran's peaceful nuclear program will be specified after the March deadline, a source in the Iranian delegation told reporters in Lausanne on Monday.

"It is not final yet," the source told Sputnik in regard to the number of centrifuges that Iran would be able to operate under the deal.

He said that the figures cited in media reports, which are approximately 6,000 centrifuges, are close to those discussed by the world powers.

"Today, we may agree this under a solution, but details should be worked out later on," the source added.

The source said the Group 5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) and Iran continue their work, adding that it is not clear whether the western anti-Iran sanctions could become a problem for the nuclear deal.

The latest round of talks on Iran's contested nuclear program is taking place in Lausanne. Tehran and the G 5+1 have held several rounds of negotiations since November 2013. 

Iranian FM Underlines China's Determination to Help End Iran-West N. Standoff

Mon Mar 30, 2015

TEHRAN (FNA)-

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi voiced Beijing's full readiness to help Iran and the western side of the nuclear negotiations in Lausanne narrow down their differences to cut a final deal in due time.

Speaking in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Sunday, the top Chinese diplomat stressed that his country will continue to make positive efforts to advance the negotiations.

"Important progress has been made in the Iranian nuclear talks, and it is in every party’s interests to reach a comprehensive agreement,” he went on to say.

On Sunday, Zarif underlined that Tehran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, France and Britain plus Germany) have made progress in achieving solutions, but said the two sides still have to work on several important issues.

"We have made progress in reaching acceptable solutions, but we still have to work on some important issues; the key to striking an agreement lies in this strategic choice that the other side should make: pressure and sanctions or interaction and agreement by the other side," Zarif wrote on his facebook page.

He noted that both sides have been involved in difficult and intensive nuclear negotiations in the past few days and the arrival of G5+1 foreign ministers has made the situation more complicated.

Zarif described his meetings with his German and French counterparts as serious, but in the meantime positive.

"I have a very intensive program these days and in addition to negotiations, I have given a considerable amount of time to follow-up and consultations about regional problems caused by dangerous and hasty measures of the supporters of extremist and Takfiri groups which threaten our region and world; I hope we could stop the dangerous trend of war and division through consultations and cooperation with neighbors as well as realism and foresight," he added.

On Saturday, Zarif called on the G5+1 to show more flexibility in the talks with Iran, and said Iran is ready for striking a "good" final deal with the world powers.

"In negotiations, both sides must show flexibility. We are ready to make a good deal for all. We wait for our counterparts' readiness," Zarif wrote on his Twitter account.

Iran and G5+1 started their new round of talks in Lausanne on Thursday.

Iran and the G5+1 are negotiating to narrow their differences over Tehran's nuclear energy program ahead of a July 1 deadline.

 

Setbacks and progress as Iran, six powers meet to end nuclear impasse

By Parisa Hafezi, John Irish and Louis Charbonneau

Mon Mar 30, 2015 7:34am EDT

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) -

The foreign ministers of Iran and six world powers met on Monday in a final push for a preliminary nuclear accord less than two days before their deadline as Tehran showed signs of backing away from previous compromise offers.

For days Iran, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China have been holding negotiations to break an impasse in negotiations aimed at stopping Tehran having the capacity to develop a nuclear bomb in exchange for an easing of international sanctions that are crippling its economy.

But officials at the talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne cautioned that attempts to reach a framework accord could yet fall apart.      

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said there had been "some progress and some setbacks in the last hours".

"I can't rule out that there will be further crises in these negotiations," he told reporters in Lausanne.

In addition to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Steinmeier, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, Russia's Sergei Lavrov and China's Wang Yi gathered at a 19th-century hotel overlooking Lake Geneva to try to end the deadlock in the talks.

The ministers met for an hour and then broke of their discussions. They were expected to meet again later on Monday.

Officials said the talks could run at least until the deadline of midnight on Tuesday or beyond. If there was a framework agreement struck in Lausanne, officials said the meeting might relocate to Geneva for a ceremony.

The six powers want more than a 10-year suspension of Iran's most sensitive nuclear work. Tehran, which denies it is trying to develop a nuclear weapons capability, demands in exchange for limits on its atomic activities a swift end to international sanctions. that are crippling its economy.

While some issues being discussed in the negotiations have been resolved, there are several differences on which the two sides have been unable to reach agreement. Both Iran and the six have floated compromise proposals in an attempt to make an accord possible.

One sticking point concerns Iran's demand to continue with research into newer generations of advanced centrifuges that can purify uranium faster and in greater quantities than the ones it currently operates for use in nuclear power plants or, if very highly enriched, in weapons.

Another question involves the speed of removing United Nations sanctions on Iran. A senior U.S. official said on Sunday there were other unresolved issues, but expected those would fall into place if the big sticking points could be worked out.

Even if Iran and the six powers reach a framework agreement by their end-March deadline, officials close to the talks say it would be very preliminary and could still fall apart when the two sides attempt to agree on all the technical details for a comprehensive accord by June 30.

There were several examples of the progress and setbacks Steinmeier referred to. Western officials said Iran suggested it would be willing to accept keeping fewer than 6,000 centrifuges in operation, down from its current figure of nearly 10,000, and to ship most of its enriched uranium stockpiles to Russia.

But senior Iranian negotiator Abbas Araqchi told reporters dispatching stockpiles abroad "was not on Iran's agenda."

A senior U.S. State Department official said there had been no decisions on the stockpiles.

"The issue of how Iran's stockpile would be disposed of had not yet been decided in the negotiating room, even tentatively," the official said in a statement.

"There is no question that disposition of their stockpile is essential to ensuring the program is exclusively peaceful...The metric is ensuring the amount of material remaining as enriched material will only be what is necessary for a working stock and no more."

Another Western official said there were "other options" for dealing with the stockpile issue it was not shipped to Russia, such as downblending to make it less pure.

It was not clear if the Iranian rejection of certain proposals it had previously indicated might be acceptable was a sign that Tehran might be getting cold feet.

"It's not clear if these are the usual negotiations tactics to raise the stakes or if they just don’t have enough wiggle room to move ahead," said a Western diplomat. "We'll see today."

On the issue of U.N. Security Council sanctions, officials close to the talks voiced concerns that the five permanent veto-wielding council members could object to plans to strip away some of the U.N. measures in place since 2006, albeit for different reasons.

Britain, France and the United States want any removal of U.N. sanctions to be automatically reversible, but the Russians dislike the idea of automaticity because it would weaken their veto power, a Western official said.

Western officials also voiced concerns that Russia, itself under U.S. and European Union sanctions over Ukraine, might have reservations about lifting energy sanctions over fears that bringing Iranian oil back into the market would further depress the price of oil.

Despite the deep disagreements on several points, Western officials said the two sides had been closing in on a preliminary deal that could be summarized in a brief document which may or may not be released.

(Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; editing by Anna Willard)

 

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