Chief Negotiator: Iran Waiting to See New Attitude from World Powers
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s foreign minister and top negotiator said on Wednesday Tehran expects a new attitude from the world powers after it presented new proposals during this round of Geneva talks, adding that they have a few weeks to study details of Iran's plan.
Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on his facebook page that Iran's three-step plan presented on Tuesday morning was welcomed by top diplomats from the Group 5+1 and that Tehran expects a similar, new approach from its counterparts in the group.
“This framework was welcomed as a new approach and the heads of delegations, too, have viewed it in a positive light. We, likewise, would like to see a new approach from the G5+1.”
The Iranian foreign minister added that the nuclear talks would continue in Geneva in a few weeks' time during which the other side has enough time to study Iran's proposals and to think about its reciprocal measures.
But he cautioned against expectation of quick fix to a dispute that has lasted for a decade, saying: "As I told you before, negotiations and reaching a solution is difficult and discussing details requires much time and care. We should not expect the accumulated mutual distrust to be removed in a single positive session."
The EU expressed cautious optimism about the talks - the first since President Hassan Rouhani took office. Iran has said its proposal at the two-day talks in Geneva has the capacity to make a breakthrough.
Iran's deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, who leads the Iranian team in the abscence of Zarif, had said earlier that Tehran would consider talks on the level of uranium enrichment as well as adoption of the Additional Protocol in the final stage of its proposed plan offered in Geneva.
Araqchi told reporters on Tuesday evening that the issue of negotiations on the level of uranium enrichment and implementation of the Additional Protocol “are not discussed in the first step of Iran’s package of proposals, but constitute part of its final stage.”
During the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) in Geneva, Tehran has presented a three-step plan that aims to bring the standoff over the Islamic Republic’s peaceful nuclear program to an end, but full details of the proposals have not been made public so far.
