Brussels, 10/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 10 July, the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme continued in Vienna between the E3+3 (Germany, France, United Kingdom and China, United States, Russia) and Iran, after the negotiations were resumed on 2 July. The objective is to reach an overall agreement before 20 July - the date of expiry of the temporary agreement thrashed out last November (see EUROPE 10970).
The meetings between High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and Iran's Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif are becoming more numerous - as are the meetings between the deputy secretary general of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Helga Schmidt, and the Iranian deputy minister for foreign affairs, Abbas Araqchi, in order to write the final agreement. The writing of the agreement started during the negotiation session in June. Zarif stated that “this round of negotiations is hard, but we are hopeful about the final result”. A European source told EUROPE that writing the draft agreement “was progressing with difficulty”. “It is not easy but there is determination”, this source added, stating that the working atmosphere was good. Bilateral meetings between the Iranians and certain Western countries - including the USA - have also taken place.
Ashton plans to ask the ministers from the E3+3 group to come to Vienna in order to see “if there is progress and to take stock”, said Ashton's spokesperson. At the time of EUROPE going to press, no formal decision had yet been taken. According to a source, if such a meeting took place it would be on Sunday 13 July. The press department of France's Minister for Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius stated that Fabius could travel to Vienna this weekend - but there was still no confirmation. According to an Iranian diplomat quoted by French news agency AFP, the ministers “will come to help find an agreement and then return to their countries and the negotiations will continue”. If the E3+3 foreign ministers met at the negotiations, they could talk with Ashton and Zarif and meet under different formations in order to take stock of the work, said a European source. (CG)