GENEVA: Iran and world powers locked horns in intense nuclear talks yesterday, with Tehran saying a deal was not yet in sight in the third round of negotiations since Hassan Rowhani’s election.
Both sides, seeking to end the stand-off over Iran’s nuclear programme after a decade of rising tensions, stressed, however, that the talks were detailed, serious and constructive.
Rumours in Geneva suggested US Secretary of State John Kerry and other top diplomats were gearing up to fly to Switzerland for the second time in two weeks but this was not confirmed.
Raising the pressure, US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said in Washington lawmakers would move to impose new sanctions on Iran in December if there is no deal.
The United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany — the so-called P5+1 — want Iran to freeze parts of its nuclear programme for six months in return for relief from painful sanctions.
This hoped-for “first phase” deal would build trust and ease tensions while Iran and the six powers hammer out a final accord that ends once and for all fears that Tehran will get an atomic bomb.
The proposed accord includes suspending uranium enrichment to 20 percent purity — close to weapons-grade — as well as measures reducing uranium stockpiles and tighter UN inspections.
Iran’s delegation chief said after meetings lasting a total of four and a half hours between Foreign Minister Mohammad Jarad Zarif and P5+1 head negotiator Catherine Ashton that a deal was not yet in view.
But Abbas Araqchi added that the talks had been “serious” and had focused on remaining “points of difference.”
Ashton’s spokesman said that the talks had been “useful”, with “intensive work continuing”. Iran has also held bilateral meetings with other delegations.
Similar talks two weeks ago came close to succeeding, prompting Kerry and other foreign ministers to jet into Geneva ready to sign a deal.
Last time they failed to agree after France insisted that a proposed deal did not go far enough in securing guarantees on Iran’s uranium enrichment.
But French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said yesterday that the text being debated with the Iranians yesterday was “supported by all six” world powers.
“This deal will only be possible if it has a firm base,” Fabius told France 2 television.
Western powers say that the relief from painful sanctions that Iran would get in a deal would be minor, and that the main oil and banking sanctions would stay during this period.
US President Barack Obama’s administration has leaned heavily on Congress to hold fire on new sanctions legislation in order to give negotiations a chance to succeed.
But Reid said on Monday that shortly after the Thanksgiving recess next month he would act on a new bipartisan sanctions bill.
AFP
