Zarif Hopes World Powers Show Resolve in Nuclear Talks with Iran

(FNA)- Iran's lead negotiator and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed the hope that the other side of the negotiating table would be as determined as Tehran for striking a final nuclear deal in Vienna.

"The will is the most important parameter for success in any negotiation and we are determined and we hope that our counterparts will also be the same," Zarif wrote on his Twitter page on Friday morning.

On Thursday, Iran's Deputy Chief Negotiator Seyed Abbas Araqchi said the nuclear talks in the Austrian capital are slow and difficult, although dominated by an atmosphere of good will.

After several rounds of talks with the EU delegation at Vienna's Hotel Coburg, Araqchi, also a deputy foreign minister, told reporters that "negotiations are conducted under an atmosphere of good will, but are moving with much difficulty and slowly."

Since the opening session with the delegations of the six world powers on Wednesday, the Iranian team has had several bilateral meetings with EU negotiators.

On Wednesday, Zarif had a two-hour-long meeting with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton followed by a meeting of experts of Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany).

On Thursday, Zarif and Ashton had a rather lengthy meeting which lasted for 3.5 hours, while their deputies, Araqchi and Helga Schmidt, took part in two separate sessions.

Then Zarif, Ashton and their teams had another round of talks on Thursday evening.

Except the opening meeting, other sessions have been held at Hotel Coburg in the Austrian capital.

Earlier on Thursday, Ashton's Spokesman Michael Mann voiced satisfaction in the outcomes of this morning talks between Zarif and Ashton, saying the talks have been "useful".

"Well, it was a useful meeting," Mann said in a phone interview with FNA on Thursday afternoon.

Asked about the next stage of the talks between the delegations of Iran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) today, he said, "There are going to be different meetings in different formats this afternoon in the Coburg."

"There will be different formats, there will be internal meetings and technical meetings between the different delegations," Mann said.

The talks continued Friday morning. The Iranian team has so far had several bilateral meetings with the delegations of the sextet, before the start of multilateral talks.

Diplomatic sources told FNA that the talks will end tonight.

The talks between Tehran and the Group 5+1 are part of efforts to seal a final deal on Iran’s nuclear energy program.

On November 24, Iran and the Group 5+1 sealed a six-month Joint Plan of Action to lay the groundwork for the full resolution of the West’s decade-old dispute with Iran over the latter's nuclear energy program.

In exchange for Tehran’s confidence-building bid to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities, the sextet of the world powers agreed to lift some of the existing sanctions against Tehran and impose no nuclear-related sanctions on Iran during the six-month period.

Following the breakthrough interim agreement, Iran and the sextet accepted to send their senior negotiating teams to monthly meetings to discuss a final and comprehensive deal until July. If the seven nations fail to agree on a final deal by then, the Geneva interim agreement will be extended for another 6 months.

Since the November agreement, the seven delegations have met several times, including the last round in Vienna on April 8 and 9.

At the beginning of the last round of the talks on April 8, the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement reiterating that its team of negotiators would not discuss any topic but the country's nuclear standoff with the West in its talks with the six world powers.

The present round of the talks is the first Iran-powers meeting focused on drafting a final deal.

Upon arrival at Vienna airport on Tuesday, Zarif said Tehran would participate in the talks with firm determination.

"We have come here with a decisive will" and seek to defend the Iranian nation's nuclear rights, Zarif said.

Noting that Iran and the G5+1 are scheduled to hold three other rounds of talks by July 20, he said none of the seven delegations has prepared any draft agreement, although they have certain issues in mind.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for legal and international affairs Seyed Abbas Araqchi told reporters in Vienna late Tuesday evening that Iran is fully prepared to achieve an agreement before the deadline.

He went on to say that "we are very hopeful and so is the other side that an agreement can be reached before July 20, if there is goodwill and real political determination".

Araqchi added that there would be three additional rounds of negotiations besides the current one to make headway towards a permanent nuclear deal. "Two rounds of talks would be held in June while the third round could be stretched as long as 20 days in July, if there is a need for it."

He stressed negotiations were at the most sensitive stage, saying the start of drafting a final accord was the most difficult and complicated phase. Araqchi acknowledged some of the issues were really difficult and there remained some big gaps. "Bridging the gaps is very difficult but not hopeless," he said.

Following the Wednesday morning session, Mann wrote on his Twitter page that the seven delegations had "useful discussion".

"Now internal consultations (among the G5+1 members) will take place. (The Iran-six powers) talks will resume this afternoon," he added.

After Mann's comments, the delegations of the six world powers had an internal meeting with Ashton, who presides the G5+1 negotiators in the talks with Iran.