Brussels, 12/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - After “three days of intense and constructive discussions”, which concluded with a long meeting between the foreign affairs ministers of the E3+3 who held urgent meetings in Geneva on Saturday 9 November, Iran's Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton announced at their first joint press conference that “much concrete progress has been made but differences remain” as regards the Iranian nuclear programme. “We have done a great deal of work and I hope that we will be able to do a little more”, said Zarif, hoping that an agreement might be found when they see each other again.
A high level Western diplomat told a small group of journalists, including from EUROPE, that the negotiations have been “very intense, very complex, very detailed and constructive”, adding that “no one can doubt the seriousness of all the participants”. “These were complex and detailed discussions, covering every aspect of Iran's nuclear programme”, said UK Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Hague's French counterpart, Laurent Fabius, said that the discussions focus on the Arak reactor and the “crucial” issue of uranium enrichment, including the issue of what the Iranians are going to do with the 20% enriched uranium stock that they already have available. “We agree with our partners in saying that this stock must be dismantled and should be reduced to 5%”, he said. Regarding the negotiations, Fabius stated that “there was progress - that's clear. But it was not possible to go right to the end in Geneva”. He said that there is “a text which is on the table” which has been accepted by the West, “but there are two or three points which are still causing trouble”.
No breakthrough but no failure either. To resume, “there is still no breakthrough, but it is certainly not a failure. The collective assessment is that more time is still needed”, said the Western diplomat. He stated that this is not just a French assessment and he swept aside the rumour that France is responsible for an agreement not being found. Hague confirmed that the Western ministers presented the same united position to Iran and all said the same thing, which gave a solid basis for the next round of negotiations. US Secretary of State John Kerry said that the E3+3 group was unified on Saturday when it presented its proposal to the Iranians but that Iran was not able to accept it at that particular time. “France is neither isolated nor a follower. It is independent (…). We are firm but we are not closed and I am quite optimistic that we can reach a good agreement”, Fabius said.
Meeting next week to maintain momentum. Ashton and Zarif will meet again in Geneva on 20 November under the traditional format - at the level of the Iranian negotiating team and the E3+3 political leaders. Hague said that as regards knowing whether an agreement can be produced in the coming weeks, there is a strong likelihood of this, but he said that it was a case of extremely difficult negotiations and he could not say exactly when the negotiations would come to an end. They would try for 20-21 November during the next round of negotiations, he said, adding that they had to create a dynamic behind the Geneva negotiations and that Iran and the West had to ensure that the opportunity for making progress did not slip them by. He stressed on another occasion that it was vital to maintain this momentum and that an agreement was on the table and could be concluded. According to the Western diplomat, “it is crucial to maintain the momentum, so it is good that we will meet again next week. This also shows how serious we are” (our translation throughout). (CG/transl.fl)