Iran and world powers working towards declaration of accord Tuesday giving them another three months to agree. (Bloombergh).
Iran and world powers are closing in on an agreement detailing the main steps needed to resolve a 12-year standoff over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, giving themselves three months to overcome remaining differences.
Though any understanding is likely to fall short of the full resolution of every issue dogging the dispute that both sides had sought, a statement may be released after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov returns to the talks this afternoon, according to two officials involved who spoke on condition they not be named in line with diplomatic protocol. The parties would then have until June 30 to draft a detailed technical accord.
An agreement can be reached “as long as none of the participants at the talks raise their stakes at the last moment,” Lavrov said at a press conference prior to returning to Lausanne, Switzerland, where the negotiations are taking place. One sticking point remained the lifting of United Nations sanctions as demanded by the Iranians, according to an official involved in the talks.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking at a press conference with French President Francois Hollande in Berlin, said that while she hopes an “acceptable agreement” can be reached, “there still have to be tough negotiations.” Hollande said “France wants an agreement but a good agreement -- not an accord for the sake of an accord.”
The agreement on main principles would be less than what was sought by President Barack Obama. He needs to sell any deal to a skeptical Congress and American public to get support for a 10-to 15-year accord that would restrict and monitor Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for relief from crippling sanctions on banking, oil and other trade. Read the full story here.
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