FM Zarif, EU’s Ashton Hold Talks
TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif on Monday held talks with top EU diplomat Catherine Ashton in Brussels, following fresh U.S. sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief, has shepherded year-long talks between Iran and major powers, aiming for a comprehensive deal to end a decade-long dispute over the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities.
The negotiations suffered a setback in July when a target date for an agreement was missed and the talks were extended for four months. November 24 is the new date for a final settlement.
Zarif met Ashton for a working lunch, accompanied by two of his deputies, Abbas Araqchi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi, both members of Iran's negotiating team.
The Iranian minister also met President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy in Brussels to discuss Iran-EU mutual interests, Tehran’s nuclear energy program and countering terrorism and extremism across the Middle East.
"Today we held talks with the EU and Belgium officials. Our first meeting was about general issues and overall interests of Iran and the EU, the nuclear issue as well as terrorism and extremism in the (Middle East) region,” Zarif said following the meeting.
Ahead of their departure from Tehran, Araqchi talked up the chances of a deal in an interview with state media.
"The suggestion of an impasse in the negotiations is not correct," he told Iran, a government newspaper.
"There are key questions and if we answer these, it will address other issues as well. Hopefully we can reach a common understanding by November."
The biggest disagreement is on the amount of uranium enrichment Iran would be allowed to conduct under a deal with the West. There is a massive gap between the two sides on what is acceptable.
In exchange for nuclear curbs, Iran wants a vast array of U.S., EU and UN sanctions to be lifted.
Araqchi said Iran wants any agreement to be approved by the UN Security Council "in the form of a resolution", which would ensure sanctions were ended.
"American lawyers assure us that the U.S. president can suspend all sanctions of Congress and the (U.S.) political team endorsed this view," Araqchi added.
Monday's meeting with Ashton preceded a resumption of the talks between Iran and the powers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York later this month.
After his meeting in the Belgian capital, Zarif will head to Luxembourg and then to Italy for talks with Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini, Ashton's recently-appointed successor, IRNA said.
Iran and the P5+1 group of Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States plus Germany re-opened talks on the nuclear issue last year, following the election of President Hassan Rouhani.
An interim deal was struck last November and although hopes for a final agreement remain high, recent months have seen a slowing of momentum and the new U.S. sanctions have angered Tehran.
Mistrust of the U.S. has further deepened because of fresh measures targeting dozens of Iranian individuals and entities, including shipping and oil companies, banks and airlines, Rouhani said on Saturday.
Zarif and EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton meet today to agree a framework for renewed nuclear talks. This sets the stage for a wider P5+1 (the United States, China, Russia, France, United Kingdom, and Germany) session with Iran later in the month with the goal of forging a final nuclear deal by November 24.
Despite the fact that Iran and the P5+1 appear still to be committed to securing a robust, comprehensive agreement, there remains significant opposition, including from conservatives in Washington, and key U.S. allies in the Middle East and beyond, including the occupying regime of Israel and Canada. To date, these parties have remained relatively quiescent, but it is likely that they will become more vocal as November’s deadline nears.
For President Barack Obama, a deal would be a much needed foreign policy victory in the Middle East after several recent setbacks. In the past few weeks, the U.S. administration has been on the backfoot following the territorial gains of ISIL in Iraq, and the collapse of the latest round of Arab-Israeli "peace” negotiations and subsequent conflict in Gaza.
Taken overall, while negotiations remain in the balance, a nuclear deal remains attainable. The implications of an agreement would be potentially enormous for Iran and the wider Middle East, while also enabling Obama’s ambition of enhancing global nuclear security and consolidating his foreign policy legacy.
The negotiations suffered a setback in July when a target date for an agreement was missed and the talks were extended for four months. November 24 is the new date for a final settlement.
Zarif met Ashton for a working lunch, accompanied by two of his deputies, Abbas Araqchi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi, both members of Iran's negotiating team.
The Iranian minister also met President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy in Brussels to discuss Iran-EU mutual interests, Tehran’s nuclear energy program and countering terrorism and extremism across the Middle East.
"Today we held talks with the EU and Belgium officials. Our first meeting was about general issues and overall interests of Iran and the EU, the nuclear issue as well as terrorism and extremism in the (Middle East) region,” Zarif said following the meeting.
Ahead of their departure from Tehran, Araqchi talked up the chances of a deal in an interview with state media.
"The suggestion of an impasse in the negotiations is not correct," he told Iran, a government newspaper.
"There are key questions and if we answer these, it will address other issues as well. Hopefully we can reach a common understanding by November."
The biggest disagreement is on the amount of uranium enrichment Iran would be allowed to conduct under a deal with the West. There is a massive gap between the two sides on what is acceptable.
In exchange for nuclear curbs, Iran wants a vast array of U.S., EU and UN sanctions to be lifted.
Araqchi said Iran wants any agreement to be approved by the UN Security Council "in the form of a resolution", which would ensure sanctions were ended.
"American lawyers assure us that the U.S. president can suspend all sanctions of Congress and the (U.S.) political team endorsed this view," Araqchi added.
Monday's meeting with Ashton preceded a resumption of the talks between Iran and the powers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York later this month.
After his meeting in the Belgian capital, Zarif will head to Luxembourg and then to Italy for talks with Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini, Ashton's recently-appointed successor, IRNA said.
Iran and the P5+1 group of Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States plus Germany re-opened talks on the nuclear issue last year, following the election of President Hassan Rouhani.
An interim deal was struck last November and although hopes for a final agreement remain high, recent months have seen a slowing of momentum and the new U.S. sanctions have angered Tehran.
Mistrust of the U.S. has further deepened because of fresh measures targeting dozens of Iranian individuals and entities, including shipping and oil companies, banks and airlines, Rouhani said on Saturday.
Zarif and EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton meet today to agree a framework for renewed nuclear talks. This sets the stage for a wider P5+1 (the United States, China, Russia, France, United Kingdom, and Germany) session with Iran later in the month with the goal of forging a final nuclear deal by November 24.
Despite the fact that Iran and the P5+1 appear still to be committed to securing a robust, comprehensive agreement, there remains significant opposition, including from conservatives in Washington, and key U.S. allies in the Middle East and beyond, including the occupying regime of Israel and Canada. To date, these parties have remained relatively quiescent, but it is likely that they will become more vocal as November’s deadline nears.
For President Barack Obama, a deal would be a much needed foreign policy victory in the Middle East after several recent setbacks. In the past few weeks, the U.S. administration has been on the backfoot following the territorial gains of ISIL in Iraq, and the collapse of the latest round of Arab-Israeli "peace” negotiations and subsequent conflict in Gaza.
Taken overall, while negotiations remain in the balance, a nuclear deal remains attainable. The implications of an agreement would be potentially enormous for Iran and the wider Middle East, while also enabling Obama’s ambition of enhancing global nuclear security and consolidating his foreign policy legacy.