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| Reuter |
Speaking after the meeting between Kerry and Zarif, a US official admitted to not be certain that the deadline of 30 March set for the establishment of a framework agreement between Iran and the P5 + 1 group to be respected.
"We try to get there but honestly we do not know if we'll get there," the official said on condition of anonymity. "Iran has yet to make very difficult choices and necessary to dispel the serious concerns that remain about its nuclear program," he said.
The Iranian delegation discussed during the interview the letter from 47 Republican senators saying that any agreement reached by the Obama administration could be challenged by Congress. "That kind of thing does not help when you are dealing with a serious subject," ruled the official.
The talks are scheduled to resume Tuesday.
The French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, summarized the situation where uncertainty vies with hope. "We want an agreement, but only if the agreement is very strong. There has been progress, but there remain important issues that are not resolved," he told the press in Brussels.
SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCE
The schedule could be disrupted by the celebrations of the Persian New Year, which begins Saturday. Officials close discussions felt that it might be difficult to reach an agreement before that date. Discussions then resume in the last days of March.
Mohammad Zarif said that delegates continue talks this week to see what could be accomplished.
"On some issues, we are close to a solution and taking into account that it can be said that a solution is at hand. At the same time, we disagree on other issues," said the Iranian minister.
Technically, the negotiators have until June 30 to finalize the details of a compromise.
Iran and the P5 + 1 powers (USA, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany) want to hear by the end of the month on a framework agreement with the objective of complete by the end of June of the negotiations launched in 2003.
In exchange for a lifting of sanctions, Iran, which says its program is for civilian purposes, would agree to limit its uranium enrichment capabilities, essential step in the production of the atomic bomb, and would be subject to verification mechanism of its commitments.
In Brussels, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini, for his part, said he had constructive discussions with Mohammad Javad Zarif, and said he hoped they would reach an agreement with the Nuclear Iran.
"I am confident that this meeting will help to advance the negotiations in the days and weeks to come," said Federica Mogherini to the press stating that all points making the problem had been addressed.
A European diplomatic source stressed, however, that there were still major points of disagreement and it was not certain that the problem areas can be solved in the coming days.
"The discussion was long and detailed, but it was not possible to reconcile points of view," is it said.
"There remains a substantial gap between the positions of the Six and those of Iran and it is not certain that it can be filled in the coming days," is it added.
