Brussels, 25/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 24 November, the E3+3 (Germany, France, United Kingdom and China, United States, Russia) and Iran reached an agreement on the nuclear programme after four days of discussions at the level of their political directors, and then with their foreign affairs ministers. High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and Iran's Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif said that after intense negotiations, they had reached an agreement on a common action plan which defines an approach with a view to reaching a long-term global solution. Ashton and Zarif said that they had agreed that the process leading to this complete solution will include an initial stage on reciprocal measures to be taken by the two parties for a period of six months.
The preliminary agreement is expected to lead to a final agreement in six months' time. According to the action plan, this compromise could be extended by mutual consent and the different parties intend to conclude negotiations for the overall agreement and begin its implementation “no longer than a year after the adoption” of this preliminary agreement.
Ashton and Zarif stated that, “we share a strong commitment to negotiating a final and comprehensive solution”. They also affirmed that “implementation of this first stage creates the time and environment needed for an overall agreement, which remains the common objective on which negotiations will soon begin”. They stated that work on implementation of this first stage will begin soon. One Western source asserted that “the aim over the next few weeks must be the rapid implementation” of the agreement. According to US Secretary of State John Kerry, the really difficult part will come after the agreement and that an effort will need to be made to obtain a complete agreement with significant commitments in terms of verification, transparency and responsibility.
Enrichment to be kept to under 5% in exchange for reducing sanctions
According to the French minister for foreign affairs, Laurent Fabius, this agreement, “confirms Iran's right to nuclear energy for civilian purposes, whilst excluding any access to procuring nuclear weapons”. Iran is committed to ceasing all uranium enrichment above 5% and neutralising its stock of nearly-20% enriched uranium. It is also committed to stopping the construction of any new centrifuge, suspending work at its plutonium reactor in Arak, as well as the production of fuel for this plant. Iran also agreed to grant daily access to experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). According to one western source, this agreement is an important initial step because if it had not been possible and the Iranian programme had progressed in the same way it had done so over recent months, this would have significantly increased in Iran's “breakout capacity” (its capacity for obtaining nuclear weapons).
In exchange, the E3+3 will reduce sanctions but in a way that is “limited, temporary, targeted and which could be suspended”. According to the US, this deal is worth around $7 billion. European sanctions involving petrochemical exports, gold, precious metals, and sanctions on connected services have been suspended. The EU is also committed to not taking any further sanctions related to the nuclear issue. With regard to oil, EU and US sanctions have been suspended in the insurance and transport fields. According to Fabius, the first sanctions will be lifted in December. The spokesperson for Catherine Ashton, however, said that technical experts will begin work on amending legislation and a decision will have to be taken by EU ministers. He explained that he could not say when they would decide on the matter and that it could be in December or January but that everything would depend on the length of the legislative process involved.
Agreement welcomed by many countries but criticised by Israel
Fabius described the agreement as “an important step forward for security and peace”. He added that “it will be necessary to be vigilant on the implementation of commitments made by Iran”. Commenting on the “turning point”, German minister, Guido Westerwelle, indicated that “we have taken this crucial step towards the objective of preventing Iran obtaining nuclear weapons”. He also said that implementation must be transparent and subject to verification and added that, “the swift continuation of negotiations is now crucial”. His British counterpart, William Hague, described the agreement as being good for the whole world, including the countries in the Middle East and the Iranian people. He added that it was the first phase that was both important and encouraging and that the nuclear programme would not advance over a six-month period and the different parts contained within it would be suspended.
The president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso and his counterpart at the Council, Herman Van Rompuy, welcomed the agreement, with Barroso describing it as a “major step forward for global security and stability”. They underlined the importance of implementing the agreement and Van Rompuy concluded that “it is now essential to ensure speedy implementation of the agreement concluded and to continue working, on the basis of the trust currently being developed, towards a definitive solution of this question”. The two presidents congratulated Catherine Ashton. Barroso said that the agreement is also the result of the EU's dual policy approach.
The Iranian president, Hassan Rohani, welcomed “the result of these negotiations and the fact that the Western powers recognise Iran's nuclear rights”. He stated that, if the E3+3, “scrupulously sticks to the commitments, Iran will do so too”. He said that there was still a long way to go before complete trust between Iran and the E3+3 could be established but that the first steps towards this had been taken.
Israel sharply criticised the agreement and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu's office described it as “a bad agreement that gives Iran exactly what it wanted: the partial lifting of sanctions whilst it maintains most of its nuclear programme”. (CG/transl.fl)