Brussels, 10/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Sunday 9 March, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton warned that there was no guarantee of success for a final agreement on the nuclear issue with Iran. She added that negotiations between Iran and the E3+3 (Germany, France, United Kingdom, and China, US and Russia) were proving “difficult”.
Ashton told a joint news conference with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that “this interim agreement [of November] is really really important but not as important as a comprehensive agreement that we are currently engaged in [which is] difficult, challenging, and there is no guarantee that we will succeed”. On 8-10 March, Ashton made her first visit to Iran since she was appointed head of the European External Action Service.
In an online meeting with the European Commission on Sunday, Ashton emphasised that she felt that there was support “across the political spectrum” in Iran to move talks forward “which does not mean that we'll get an agreement”. She added, however, “I have had a real sense that people are committed to wanting to see the talks happen and that, I think, is encouraging of itself”.
During the press conference in Tehran, Zarif said that “Iran is determined to reach an agreement”, which he believes could be concluded within the next four or five months. He added: “we have shown good faith and political will. We have done our part.” He also said that “such an agreement would need to respect the rights of Iranian people and serve national interests without ambiguities” (in the context of the country's nuclear rights). The next negotiation cycle on the nuclear question in Iran will take place on 18 March in Vienna (Austria). If a final deal is to be reached, several sensitive questions still pending - particularly the scale of the Iranian enrichment programme, the enrichment site at Fordo and the heavy water facility reactor in Arak - will have to be tackled. The West is demanding that these two sites are closed but Iran is refusing.
Ashton stated that she and Zarif had spoken about the potential of a human rights dialogue in the future and had also discussed “the terrible situation in Syria”, as well as areas of cooperation regarding Afghanistan's future.
During her visit to Iran, Ashton also met Iran's President Hassan Rohani and the president of the country's parliament, Ali Larijani. According to the Iranian students' news agency ISNA, during his meeting with Ashton, Rohani had said that he wanted to “develop new relations with the EU” particularly with regard to developing closer strategic ties in the energy and commercial transport areas. He added that “both parties could also cooperate in the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, Afghanistan, Iraq and also Syria”. Iran is one of the extremely few allies of the Syrian president, Bashar el-Assad. (CG)