More FMs to Join Iran-G5+1 Talks in Geneva
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – As the second day of nuclear talks between Iran and the six world powers started in Geneva today, foreign ministers of some members of the Group 5+1 as well as Switzerland, are reportedly joining the ongoing talks, a sign that a historic deal is looming.
Tehran and world powers ended the first day of talks on Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif saying a deal could be reached "before we close these negotiations”.
Negotiators from Iran and six global powers are meeting for two days in Geneva to broker a deal on Iran's nuclear issue.
As diplomatic efforts are intensified to reach an agreement between Iran and the G5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany), a sources said on Friday that French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is due to travel to Geneva to attend the tight negotiations, raising hopes that an agreement may be under discussion.
"An interim text is under discussion and the (French) minister believed that it was an important step," a diplomatic source said, adding that a ministerial meeting would be held in Geneva to discuss developments.
In the meantime, US Secretary of State John Kerry also plans to travel to the Swiss city to take part in the negotiations.
Kerry will go to the Swiss city "in an effort to help narrow differences in negotiations" and at the invitation of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, a senior State Department official said.
Upending an 11-day tour mostly of the Middle East, Kerry was due to arrive in Geneva later on Friday for the talks.
Moreover, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter is also preparing to head to Geneva to join his other counterpart in the ongoing negotiations.
According to some sources, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and British Foreign Secretary William Hague are highly anticipated to travel to Switzerland, raising possibility of a forthcoming deal.
However, the Russian ITAR-TASS news agency later said that Lavrov will not joint the talks underway in Geneva.
According to Tasnim dispatches, William Hague and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle will join six-power talks with Iran on Friday.
Hague announced his participation on Twitter and a diplomatic source confirmed Westerwelle would also attend, Reuters reported on Friday.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is also the country’s chief nuclear negotiator, has reportedly announced that he is ready to stay in Geneva to see his US counterpart, John Kerry, join the talks.
Earlier on Thursday, Zarif said an "understanding or agreement" between Iran and the Group 5+1 on Tehran's nuclear program may be possible as soon as Friday.
The Iranian minister made the remarks in a Thursday interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour in the Swiss city of Geneva.
"I believe it is possible to reach an understanding or an agreement before we close these negotiations tomorrow evening (Friday, November 8)," Zarif told CNN.
"We've got to be creative, we've got to be innovative and deal with situations as - on the basis of realities, not on the basis of illusions," he added.
"I believe, at the end of the day, everybody will be happy with a deal that can be achieved today."
