Brussels, 20/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - At the end of two days of negotiations in Moscow, the major powers and Iran had still not managed to reach an agreement on the Iranian nuclear question, the threat of an imminent oil embargo against Iran or, indeed, military intervention (see EUROPE 10636).
The EU high representative for foreign affairs currently steering the 5+1 group (US, Russia, China, France, United Kingdom and Germany) in negotiations with Iran, which is suspected of seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, said: “It remains clear that there are significant gaps between the substance of the two positions.” During a press conference on Tuesday 19 June, following nine hours of negotiations, the major powers reaffirmed their demand for Iran to start stopping the “20 percent enrichment activities, shutting the Fordow nuclear facility and shipping out stockpiled 20 percent enriched nuclear materials” in exchange for the nuclear power the country required. Catherine Ashton explained: “We set out our respective positions in what were detailed, tough and frank exchanges.”
Iran is digging in its heels and reaffirmed its right to enrich uranium as it sees fit. Saïd Jalili, the Iranian head of negotiations in the nuclear issue, said in a separate press conference: “We highlighted the fact that enriching uranium for peaceful purposes… was a right of the Islamic Republic.” He added that “these negotiations were more serious and more realistic” than those in Istanbul in April and in Baghdad last May, and he underlined that the discussions went beyond declarations of principle.
Iran proposed five negotiating areas and the two parties agreed on another meeting in Istanbul on 3 July, which would this time be at an experts' level. Jalili also asserted: “The main Moscow agreement is that they (Ed: 5+1) accepted the position of the Islamic Republic to hold an experts' meeting, even though they did this with a two-month delay.” He indicated: “We are now hoping that this occasion will allow (the major powers) to choose the right road for getting out of this impasse.”
The Europeans also confirmed that the experts' meeting on 3 July would take place. The staff of the high representative say that this will be followed by a meeting between Schmid and Bagheri, the deputies for the head of European diplomacy and Jalili respectively. As part of the third stage, the EU high representative indicated that she would enter into direct contact with Jalili about prospects for a future political level meeting.
Jalili also considered that the entry into force on 1 July of an EU oil embargo against Iran and the toughening up of EU sanctions, together with restrictions imposed on countries purchasing Iranian oil, threatened to capsize the negotiating process. He declared that if the approach advocated by Moscow is undermined by certain action, “this will undoubtedly have an impact on the result of these negotiations… any inappropriate gesture or measure that does not go in the direction of this approach will undoubtedly not be constructive and will be met with an appropriate response”. (OL/transl.fl)