Brussels, 10/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - On 9 April, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and Iran's Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced, at the end of two days of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme, that the next meeting will take place on 13 May and that they would move on to the next phase. “We will now move to the next phase in the negotiations in which we will aim to bridge the gaps in all the key areas and work on the concrete elements of a possible comprehensive agreement”, they announce in a joint press release. This could be difficult. “A lot of intensive work will be required to overcome the differences which naturally still exist at this stage in the process”, they add.
During this third round of talks to obtain a comprehensive agreement, after the provisional agreement of November 2013, Ashton and Zarif - along with the political leaders of the E3+3 (Germany, France, United Kingdom and China, United States, Russia) - held “substantive and detailed discussions covering all the issues which will need to be part of a comprehensive agreement”, the press release states.
Supreme leader renews his support for the negotiations. Elsewhere, the supreme leader of Iran, the Ayatollah Khameini, renewed his support on 9 April for the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the E3+3. “The purpose of agreeing with these negotiations was to change the atmosphere of hostility that the camp of arrogance has created against Iran. These negotiations should continue”, he stated on his website, “but everyone should know that despite this, the activities of the Islamic Republic in the area of nuclear research and development will not stop in any way. None of the nuclear achievements of the country can be given up”, he added, reiterating that “not having nuclear weapons is the definite policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran”. (CG)