After months of intense negotiations, global powers and Iran today begin a key weekend of talks amid signs they might be inching toward a historic nuclear deal to end a 13-year standoff.
While Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif said there was still “no guarantee” of success, he said the world had “never been closer” to reaching an accord with his country.
In a rare move, Zarif offered the promise of greater cooperation to tackle other global problems, such as the rise of the Islamic State group, should the deal be sealed.
Photo: EPA
Global powers are trying to draw the curtain on almost two years of negotiations, which gathered fresh impetus after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani took power in late 2013.
The aim is to finalize a deal which would put a nuclear bomb beyond Iran’s reach, in return for lifting a web of biting international sanctions slapped on the Islamic republic.
Speaking in English from the balcony of the Viennese hotel hosting the talks, Zarif said in a message posted on YouTube that at “this 11th hour, despite some differences that remain, we have never been closer to a lasting outcome.”
“Getting to yes requires the courage to compromise, the self-confidence to be flexible, the maturity to be reasonable,” he said. However, he added that Iran was ready to strike “a balanced and good deal” which could “open new horizons to address important common challenges.”
“Our common threat today is the growing menace of violent extremism and outright barbarism,” he said in a clear reference to the Islamic State group, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
As Zarif met US Secretary of State John Kerry for fresh talks on Friday, the top US diplomat praised “the genuine effort” being made by all sides and insisted progress had been made despite “tough issues.”
After missing several deadlines, the so-called P5+1 group of nations — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US — have now given themselves until Tuesday to conclude the deal.
“We’re really in the endgame of all this,” a senior US administration official told reporters. “We’re certainly making progress, there’s no doubt about that... but it’s also clear there are still big issues not resolved, which is why people are burning the midnight oil.”
Some outstanding points of contention have been concluded in the past few days.
However, “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,” the offical said. “Eventually this is going to have to come down to some significant political decisions that can only be made at the level of ministers.”
With teams of experts working around the clock to resolve some of the thorniest issues — such as the extent and timing of sanctions relief, and how to win access to suspect Iranian nuclear sites — many of the ministers are due back in Vienna today.
“It feels like the end,” one Western diplomat said. “The technical work is advancing on the main text, on the appendices.”
It will be up to the UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to verify Iran is sticking to its side of the bargain through enhanced inspections of its nuclear facilities.
However, the P5+1 also want the agency to be able to visit sites where there is no declared nuclear material to probe alleged efforts, before 2003 and possibly since, to develop a nuclear weapon in secret.
On Thursday International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Yukiya Amano visited Tehran to meet Rouhani, hoping to jump-start a stalled probe into the so-called “possible military dimensions” of Iran’s activities.
However, after he returned, an agency statement suggested there had been no breakthrough.
“I believe that both sides have a better understanding on some ways forward, though more work will be needed,” Amano said.
He briefed Kerry on Friday about his trip, but US officials refused to discuss the substance of their talks.
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