29 Mar 2024
Wednesday 15 October 2014 - 23:20
Story Code : 121430

Gov't spokesman: Iran, G5+1 still at serious odds

TEHRAN (FNA)- Spokesman of the Iranian Government Mohammad Baqer Nobakht expressed the hope that Tehran and the six world powers would be able to reach a final deal, but meantime, said the two sides are in serious disagreement over certain issues.
"We have serious differences in this regard," Nobakht told reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday and in response to the question if there is any chance for striking a deal by the November deadline.

He said Iran and the world powers generally agree on certain issues, but have differences over the details of other issues, and added, "As we have a fully clear logic, we hope to be able to reach an agreement in this regard."

In relevant remarks on Tuesday night, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tehran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) had not yet reached an agreement over their main bones of contention.

"There are outstanding differences, but it doesnt mean that these differences cannot be resolved," Zarif told reporters after meeting EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Vienna.

"Of course, this doesnt mean that a solution cannot be achieved. Everyone believes that this issue can be settled since actually, Iran's nuclear program is a peaceful program and a reality on the ground," he added.

Stressing that working on solutions is necessary, he said that during the Tuesday talks among the Iranian, EU and the US officials, the participants proposed different solutions in a series of serious discussions, but they have not yet reached a common conclusion and "I believe that in case there is a political will, reaching a solution will be possible".

He noted that as long as the two sides didnt agree on all issues, no agreement could be said to have been obtained on any single issue.

"Yet, we still have time to reach an agreement," the Iranian lead negotiator concluded.

Earlier on Tuesday and before meeting his EU and US counterparts, Zarif had announced that high-ranking Iranian, EU and US officials were due to discuss the volume of Iran's enrichment as well as ways and timeline for the removal of the sanctions against Tehran in the new round of talks in Vienna.

"All the negotiations that we have had so far have been sensitive and this round of negotiations can level the path to a final agreement," Zarif said upon arrival in Vienna where he is holding a trilateral meeting with his US counterpart John Kerry and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton within the framework of talks between Tehran and the Group 5+1 on Iran's nuclear issue now.

"Of course, it will be much unlikely to achieve a deal in these negotiations because the issues which need to be settled are still too many," he stressed.

"As our president has said there is a general understanding over the bases of issues, but these are details like the volume of enrichment, and the manner and the time-table for the removal of the sanctions which are of vital importance and which have been under discussion in the last several rounds of the talks," he added.

Zarif expressed the hope that the world powers would see and accept the realities existing on the regional and international scenes as well as this reality that Iran owns an advanced peaceful nuclear program to reach a solution which will benefit all.

"We will make our utmost efforts to use these days of negotiations in Vienna to settle the problems in its best way," he added.

Zarif, accompanied by his deputies Seyed Abbas Araqchi and Majid Takht Ravanchi, arrived in Vienna on Tuesday morning.

Iranian, American and EU negotiators continued the talks in Vienna on October 14-15.

Araqchi and Takht Ravanchi and US Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman and Deputy Secretary of State William Burns held a bilateral meeting in the Austrian capital on Tuesday.

The two sides held six rounds of negotiations in Vienna to reach a comprehensive deal after they inked an interim agreement in Geneva on November 24.

The 7th round of talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 was held in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting last month.

The Geneva agreement took effect on January 20 and expired six months later on July 20. In July, Tehran and the six countries agreed to extend negotiations until November 24 after they failed to reach an agreement on a number of key issues.

By Fars News Agency

 

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