Iran, US, EU Start Nuclear Talks in Muscat

 

Muscat–Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad JavadZarif, his US counterpart John Kerry along with the EU nuclear coordinator Catherine Ashton started their tripartite talks in Muscat on Sunday, IRNA reported.

They are expected to reach a comprehensive deal over Iran’s nuclear program after months of talks.

The talks will focus on disputes between Iran and G5+1, mainly about enrichment, lifting of the sanctions and duration of the agreement.

 The second round of negotiations is scheduled to be held this afternoon.

Oman can play positive part in nuclear negotiations – Zarif

Meanwhile, Iranian foreign minister said here early Sunday morning that Oman can play a positive role in leading to a fruitful result of nuclear talks, advising the West that best solution for them is realizing the fact that sanctions have been ineffective.

Mohammad JavadZarif said after arriving in Muscat Air Port and his brief talks with his counterpart Yusuf bin Alawi in the air port that the Iranian nuclear program has never had any military dimension and objectives and will never have any.

“The best thing to do for the West is to heed the reality that the moves made to impose pressure against Iran thus far have been quite futile and it is necessary to reach a solution based on mutual respect and cooperation now,” he further emphasized.

Zarif said that if the West will be interested in finding such a solution it will be possible to find it within the remaining period till November 24 so that the two sides will come to terms with each other.

The Iranian foreign minister who heads the Iranian nuclear negotiation team arrived in Oman’s capital city, Muscat, Saturday evening for trilateral talks with his US counterpart John Kerry and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Zarif, Ashton and Kerry are scheduled to have a trilateral meeting on Sunday, whose agenda includes preparing the ground for the upcoming Iran-P5+1 (UN Security Council Big 5 plus German), according to IRNA’s dispatched reported to Muscat.

The talks will focus on disputes between the two parties, mainly about enrichment, lifting of sanctions and duration of agreement.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry deputies AbbassAraqchi and MajidTakht-Ravanchi as well as senior members of Iran nuclear negotiating team, John Kerry and William Joseph Burns, senior advisor to the US secretary of state, and Wendy Ruth Sherman, the US envoy to the G5+1, will be present in the talks.

Oman trilateral nuclear talks will be held on Sunday and Monday, November 9 and 10, and according to Araqchi, on the third day, Tuesday, November 11, the Iran-G5+1 talks will begin here in Muscat, which might take a day or longer.

Another member of the Iranian nuclear negotiation team told Iran that in this round of talks Iran and the Sextet will also decide about the date and place of their next round of talks.

In response to IRNA’s question whether Zarif, Kerry and Ashton will also have another trilateral talk before the next round of Iran-Sextet talks, he said: that depends on the outcome of Muscat talks.

 

Sanctions failed to yield intended results, says Zarif

On the other hand,Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad JavadZarif said on Sunday said thatthe anti-Iran bans are not part of a solution.

Speaking to Press TV, he noted that sanctions are illegal and have failed to bring about the results intended by the imposing states.

“It is important for the West to understand that sanctions have never contributed to the resolution of this issue. Sanctions are not a part of solution. Sanctions are the most important part of the problem. They’re illegal in nature. They must be removed. They have not produced any positive result. The only things that sanctions have produced for the West are about 19,000 centrifuges.”

On Saturday, Abbas Araqchi, a senior Iranian nuclear negotiator, said the Islamic Republic will move ahead with its uranium enrichment work to meet the country’s industrial needs.

“Iran’s [uranium] enrichment will continue. This issue has been agreed upon by both sides,” he said.

He added that the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 are focused on determining the extent of uranium enrichment as well as the time span for Iran to produce industrial-scale enriched uranium.

Zarifwarns West not to raise fabricated redlines in nuclear talks

In the same concept,visiting Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad JavadZarif has warned Western parties at the nuclear talks not to invent redlines and instead try to find necessary political understanding for reaching a comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran.

Speaking to IRNA, Zarif said Western parties can help reach an inclusive deal with Iran by accepting peaceful nature of Tehran’s nuclear activities.

Commenting on closeness of the two sides’ viewpoints during the nuclear talks, Zarif said there are still gaps between the size of Iran’s enrichment activities and the mechanism of lifting the Western sanctions against the country although the two sides have discussed various solutions.

We can reach a conclusion if there is necessary political will on the other side, said the FM.

Recalling the Leader’s fatwa (religious decree) on banning the use of nuclear weapons in Iran’s defensive doctrine, Zarif said the sanction-imposing states should realize that restrictions had no impacts on Iran neither did they benefit them. Sanctions are nothing but an illusion and obstacle, he reiterated.

Zarif reiterated Tehran’s firm determination to both preserve rights of the Iranian nation and reach a conclusion.

R.S