28 Mar 2024
Monday 30 March 2015 - 11:34
Story Code : 157570

Foreign Ministers gather for Iran nuclear talks on eve of deadline

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif is meeting Monday in Switzerland with his counterparts from the United States, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany, as the two sides try to beat their deadline for agreeing to an outline of a long-sought deal on Iran's nuclear program.

By the end of Tuesday, the diplomats want a framework that would ensure Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of sanctions that have harmed the country's economy. A final version of the deal would be due by the end of June.

Ahead of Monday's high-level talks, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini chaired a meeting of ministers from the so-called P5+1 group, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

The delegation did not talk publicly about their discussions, but earlier Sunday German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he expected "intense and serious negotiations."

"There are several elements missing that will bring us to the necessary security needed," Steinmeier said. "For that we need flexibility, mainly from the Iranian side, and that is not given yet. That has to be negotiated. But, with Iran I have the impression that they are ready to bring the negotiations to an end."

Diplomats taking part in talks Sunday in Lausanne said a deal could include Iran agreeing to cut the number of centrifuges it operates to fewer than 6,000 and to ship most of its enriched uranium out of the country.

But Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi said sending its nuclear material abroad was not an option.

Iran is also seeking an immediate end to the economic sanctions, while the international powers have said they want a phased withdrawal. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Saturday that there is concern about how to monitor whether Iran is complying with limits on its nuclear activity.

Iran has long denied wanting to build a nuclear weapon and insists its nuclear program is purely for civilian purposes such as medical research and generating power.

By VOA
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