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NUKEWARS
'Concerned' Kerry joins troubled Iran nuclear talks
by Staff Writers
Vienna (AFP) Nov 20, 2014


UN chief calls for flexibility in Iran talks
United Nations, United States (AFP) Nov 20, 2014 - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday urged world powers and Iran to show flexibility in last-ditch negotiations to reach a deal on addressing concerns over Tehran's nuclear program.

Ban said a deal on Iran's nuclear capacities would contribute to world peace and security "at a time when global cooperation is needed more than ever."

The United Nations is hoping to enlist Iran in international efforts to defeat Islamists now controlling large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria.

The UN chief called on all sides "to demonstrate the necessary flexibility, wisdom and determination to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion that meets the concerns and interests of all sides."

US Secretary of State John Kerry was due to meet Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif late Thursday in Vienna ahead of a final round of talks before a November 24 deadline for reaching agreement.

The United States along with Britain, France, China, Russia plus Germany are hoping to reach a historic deal to ensure Tehran is not able to develop a nuclear weapon, a claim Iran has repeatedly denied.

EU says Iran must make 'strategic decision' in talks
Brussels (AFP) Nov 20, 2014 - EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini urged Iran to compromise in tense talks on its nuclear programme Thursday, saying Tehran must take a "strategic decision" to win a landmark deal.

The talks in Vienna between world powers and Iran had reached a "decisive" stage as they push for a difficult arrangement by a deadline of next Monday, Mogherini said in a statement from Brussels.

"This is the time for Iran to take the strategic decision to open the way for a historic and final settlement of the nuclear issue which would also mark the beginning of a new chapter in relations between Iran and the international community," said Mogherini.

She also thanked her predecessor Catherine Ashton, who has stayed on as the EU's negotiator for the talks despite leaving the post of diplomatic chief at the end of October, for her "dedication" to the task.

"I hope that they will succeed in achieving a long-term and comprehensive diplomatic solution which will address international concerns as regards the Iranian nuclear issue," said Mogherini.

The United States along with Britain, France, China, Russia plus Germany are hoping to reach a historic deal to ensure Tehran is not able to develop a nuclear weapon, a goal Iran has repeatedly denied.

French foreign minister to travel to Vienna Friday for Iran nuclear talks
Paris (AFP) Nov 20, 2014 - French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will travel to Vienna on Friday, joining his US counterpart John Kerry to participate in the last-ditch talks on Iran's nuclear programme, his office announced Thursday.

Kerry and Fabius met in Paris earlier on Thursday before the US secretary of state headed to Austria where he was meeting his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif in the evening.

Iran and the six powers have been negotiating intensively since February to turn an interim accord reached a year ago into a lasting agreement before November 24.

Such a deal, after 12 years of rising tensions, is aimed at easing fears that Tehran will develop nuclear weapons under the guise of its civilian activities -- an ambition the Islamic republic has always hotly denied.

Kerry and Fabius both affirmed their desire to strike a deal before the deadline, despite what the French minister described as "important points of disagreement".

"We hope they can be reduced," Fabius told reporters in Paris. "That will depend very much on Iran's attitude."

US Secretary of State John Kerry joined troubled Iran nuclear talks in Vienna on Thursday, four days before a looming deadline, with Russia warning that getting a deal will be "very difficult".

Speaking in Paris earlier, Kerry said that with British counterpart Philip Hammond -- who said on Wednesday he was "not optimistic" -- and the other powers he was "concerned about the gaps".

"We all are," Kerry said.

Hammond also suggested that the best hope was making enough progress to extend the deadline for a second time after an earlier cut-off point of July 20 was missed.

But Kerry, who went into a late-night meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif soon after arriving, said the parties "are not discussing an extension. We are negotiating to have an agreement."

Iran and the six powers have been negotiating intensively since February to turn an interim accord with Iran reached a year ago into a lasting agreement before November 24.

Such a deal, after 12 years of rising tensions, is aimed at easing fears that Tehran will develop nuclear weapons under the guise of its civilian activities -- an ambition the Islamic republic has always hotly denied.

- 'Tense atmosphere' -

Russia's main negotiator in the talks, Sergei Ryabkov, said Thursday that the talks were being held in a "tense atmosphere" and that agreeing the mammoth accord would be tough.

"In the current situation it will be very difficult to get a deal unless there is a new spirit," Ryabkov was quoted as saying by Russian agency RIA Novosti.

He warned: "A possibility like we have at the moment (to get a deal) is very rare. This is a crucial moment and to let it pass would be a serious mistake with grave consequences."

Some areas appear provisionally settled in what would be a highly complex deal that would run for many years, even decades.

But two key issues remain: enrichment -- rendering uranium suitable for peaceful uses but also, at high purities, for a weapon -- and the pace of the lifting of sanctions.

Diplomats say Iran wants all sanctions lifted at once. The six world powers want however to stagger any suspension to be sure that Iran would not renege on its commitments.

Iran wants to massively ramp up the number of enrichment centrifuges -- in order, it says, to make fuel for a fleet of future reactors -- while the West wants them dramatically reduced.

Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi stuck to this position on Thursday, saying Iran would increase its enrichment capacity to 190,000 SWU (Separative Work Units) -- around 20 times its current ability -- within eight years.

The six powers say Iran has no such need in the foreseeable future. Russia is contracted until 2021 to fuel Iran's only power reactor at Bushehr and last week signed a deal to build -- and fuel -- several others.

Salehi also said the much-reported idea of exporting its stockpile of low-enriched uranium -- enough for around eight bombs if purified to weapons grade -- "makes no sense".

- Upping the ante -

Upping the ante, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that a deal was possible but only if the other side showed "political will ... and doesn't make excessive demands".

Iran's speaker of parliament Ali Larijani meanwhile told Iranian media: "We are constantly cooperating (but the other side) is raising the tone."

He added: "We hope that the other side will behave in a rational manner ... and won't take the wrong path."

France said Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius would be in Vienna on Friday but it was unclear when other counterparts might arrive.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whose country is a crucial player in the talks, will only attend if there is sufficient progress, Ryabkov told Russian media this week.

"With the arrival of Kerry the talks will move into a more serious direction," RIA Novosti cited a source in the Russian delegation as saying on Thursday.

"Much depends on what decisions he will bring from Washington".

Lavrov was due to meet his Saudi counterpart in Moscow on Friday, and therefore cannot be in Vienna before Saturday, a foreign ministry spokesman said in Moscow on Thursday.

"A deal is still possible by November 24," Arms Control Association analyst Kelsey Davenport told AFP.

"The remaining obstacles can be overcome if both sides are willing to show some flexibility."


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Vienna (AFP) Nov 19, 2014
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