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News ID: 4417
Publish Date : 29 August 2014 - 19:53
Russian FM:

Solving Crises Impossible Without Iran

MOSCOW (Dispatches) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif said Tehran hoped to reach a "positive result" in talks with world powers on its nuclear program ahead of a November deadline, thanks in part to support from Russia.
"In that short period of time that is left, we hope that we can reach a positive result," said Zarif, speaking through a translator at a news conference on Friday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
Iran and global powers are working to strike a comprehensive agreement by a Nov. 24 deadline, under which Iran would curb its nuclear activities in exchange for an easing of economic sanctions.
The talks include the United States, Britain, Russia, China, Germany and France together with Iran, a format known as the 6 +1.
Lavrov said Moscow advocated a solution that would acknowledge Iran's right to peaceful nuclear activity.
"We expect that the continuing 6+1 talks will allow the conclusion of such a resolution," he said.
Moscow has helped to bridge differences between Iran and other world powers over Tehran's nuclear energy program.
Earlier this month, Russia and Iran announced a big oil-for-food deal. Few details were disclosed, but sources said in January that the two sides were negotiating a deal worth $1.5 billion a month that would enable Iran to lift oil exports substantially.
Western diplomats say there has been little or no narrowing of differences on the issue of Iran's capacity to enrich uranium.
Lavrov said the two diplomats had discussed progress in efforts on the Iranian nuclear program and bilateral relations, taking into consideration the objectives set by the two countries’ presidents to develop trade and economic cooperation in all areas.
Russia and Iran may soon recover and even exceed the mutual trade volume that existed before the West imposed sanctions on Russia, the Russian foreign minister said.
Lavrov also said settlement of regional crises is impossible without Iran’s participation. "We support your participation in the processes,” he told FM Zarif.
"We value our relations, in the basis of which are many years of friendship and good neighbor ties,” Lavrov said. "The relations have passed the test of time. Our cooperation is not influenced by changing considerations of the moment, and it is of a long-term character.”
The Russian minister also noted the intensive political dialogue on the top level between Russia and Iran.
"Our partnership is based, aside from history, on the closeness of positions on most of regional and international issues. Cooperation plays a weighty role in stabilization of the situation in the Middle East and Central Asia.”
Moscow favors Iran’s direct participation in the Syria settlement, Lavrov said.
On Thursday, Russia said the possibility of lifting sanctions on Iran had emerged thanks to international talks on Tehran's nuclear program and urged all countries involved to show political will to reach a deal.
The talks between Iran and the so-called P5+1 group failed to yield a deal by a July deadline and were extended by four months in view of remaining wide differences in negotiating positions.
They are expected to resume in September, with the aim of reaching a settlement by Nov. 24.
Russia's foreign ministry said it still hoped a deal was possible no later than November.
"Despite the difficult course of the negotiating process, a possibility is emerging to satisfy in full all integral rights of Iran as a member state of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, including the right to enrich uranium and lifting the sanctions regime," it said.
"We presume all parties in the talks will show political will to reach a final, mutually acceptable agreement that would allow to fully restore the international community's trust in the exclusively peaceful character of Iran's nuclear program."
A senior Iranian negotiator said Tehran and the P5+1 can reach a comprehensive final deal by a late November deadline if the opposite side demonstrates goodwill.
"If the opposite side continues nuclear negotiations with seriousness and goodwill and does not make excessive demands, it is possible to reach an agreement by November 24,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
Iran entered into talks with seriousness and good faith as well as logical ideas, he said, adding if the opposite side follows suit, it is possible to strike a deal by the November 24 deadline.
 On Friday, Zarif said Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program has not stopped in the face of unilateral sanctions and will never be halted.
"We believe that sanctions can never yield results because sanctions are an illegal strategy to exert pressure and implement bullying policies, which contradict the international law,” he said.
The foreign minister added that Iran’s negotiations with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany are aimed at resolving any ambiguity about the Iranian nuclear energy program.
Zarif dismissed the "illegal” sanctions against Tehran as "fruitless”. "We had 200 centrifuges before sanctions but we currently have 20,000 centrifuges.”
Zarif also said sanctions may exert pressure on people, but the people of Iran and Russia would never give up on their rights under such pressure.