MOSCOW (Sputnik), Anastasia Levchenko, Daria Chernyshova As the group ofP5+1 international mediators and Iran are inthe final days beforereaching a deal onTehran's controversial nuclear program, the sides notice they have never been asclose tothe deal asnow.
Final Chords
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Sunday that if the deal could be achieved, it should be struck now.
"I think this is really the last mile ofthese negotiations," Mogherini told reporters Sunday. "If the deal could be closed, it is now."
Moreover, she ruled outthe possibility ofa plan B inthe talks, saying that "if you work onplan A, you stick withthe plan A."
Earlier inthe day, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said that reaching a deal onthe Iran nuclear program will open new horizons forthe cooperation betweenthe European Union and Iran, asit would give "a new chance fora better cooperation betweenEurope and Iran, especially onthe economic level."
He stressed that lifting ofsanctions would provide formore possibilities tocooperate withIran, butnoted that sanction relief is part ofthe ongoing talks inVienna.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said onSunday that Iran and the international negotiators seek tofinalize talks onTehran's controversial nuclear program withinthe next two days, untilthe July 7 deadline.
"The main thing toknow is tosee if Iran makes clear commitments," Fabius told reporters.
Unresolved Issues
The US Secretary ofState John Kerry said Sunday that although Tehran and the P5+1 group have made a genuine progress inthe negotiations onthe Iranian nuclear program, most important issues are still unresolved.
"Over the pastfew days we have infact made and genuine progress butI want tobe absolutely clear witheverybody we are not yet where we need tobe onseveral and the most difficult issues," Kerry told reporters inVienna.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Sunday that outline forthe final agreement onTehran's nuclear deal became more clear butthere still some aspects tobe completed ahead ofthe deadline.
According toa source close tothe negotiating process, one ofthe sticking points hindering the deal is the debate onthe possibility ofissuing a UN Security Council statement immediately afterreaching a nuclear deal.
"One ofthe sticking points now is whether atleast a UNSC statement, not a resolution, will be issued immediately afterthe deal is reached," the source told Sputnik Sunday.
Another contentious issue is the lifting ofanti-Iran sanctions. The P5+1 insist onIran making first steps inimplementing the commitments undertaken underthe deal, and Iran wants the sanctions relief first, or atleast a written commitment that all the sanctions would be lifted, the source explained.
The source added that the roadmap forthe easing ofsanctions would be detailed inthe annexes tothe deal.
All The Foreign Ministers ofthe P5+1 countries are expected togather inVienna onMonday tofinalize the remaining issues that do not allow the deal tobe struck.
By Sputnik
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