Brussels, 14/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Sunday 13 July, the foreign affairs ministers from France, the UK, Germany and the USA travelled to Vienna to discuss - among themselves and with their Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif - the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme. They also met to step up the pressure, just one week from the deadline for an agreement. “No breakthrough in Iran nuclear talks. Diplomats will stay in Vienna and use week before July 20 deadline to seek progress”, said British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Twitter during the evening of 13 July. He called on Zarif for realism and for bold choices on the nuclear programme. He added that Iran must be more realistic in order to do what is necessary to reach an agreement. In the view of Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, “there is little time left before 20 July (…). The ball is in Iran's court”. He hoped that the days remaining would be enough to bring Iran to reflect. There are reportedly still large differences of opinion on the uranium enrichment capacity claimed by Iran.
In the face of Western criticism, Zarif reiterated that “trust must go in both directions”. “The concerns of all the parties must be directed to reaching an agreement”, he added, stating that the E3+3 and Iran were “able to make history” on 20 July and that there were still “seven difficult days of negotiation”. “I'm not going to participate in blame games and spin (…). I'm going to participate in a sincere effort to reach an agreement. I expect the same thing” from the other side, he said.
On 14 July, US Secretary of State John Kerry was still in Vienna - unlike his counterparts. He held lengthy discussions with Zarif in the morning. (CG)