Brussels, 05/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 3 March, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini stated that the EU was fully committed to facilitating the negotiations for an agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme.
“At this crucial stage of the negotiations, the EU is fully committed to facilitating the talks to reach a comprehensive deal. We should not miss this historical opportunity”, she said after a phone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry and the Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif. A political agreement needs to be found before 31 March.
“We are working very hard to obtain a good agreement for everyone (…) Spreading fear does not help at this stage”, Mogherini added during a speech at the United Nations in Geneva. The same day, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned in a speech to the US Congress that an agreement would not prevent Iran from equipping itself with nuclear weapons.
After meeting Zarif, Kerry said that the negotiations had been “difficult and intense” from the outset. “Progress” was made, but there are still big shortfalls and important choices that must be made, he said. Kerry is due to meet his British and French and German counterparts on Saturday 7 March to discuss the Iranian nuclear programme. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)