Iran’s Senior Negotiator: Final Agreement Should Include Solutions to All Problems

Iran’s deputy lead negotiator Seyed Abbas Araqchi underlined that any final agreement with the world powers should include detailed solutions and mechanisms for resolving all issues.

“We should find solutions to all problems and then write down all solutions with full details and it is in that case that we can say we have reached an agreement,” Araqchi, also a deputy foreign minister, stressed after hours of talks with US negotiators in Switzerland on Monday.

He referred to the five-hour meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his US counterpart John Kerry as well as their deputies, Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi and US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz in Lausanne earlier today, and said that the two sides had intensive and heavy negotiations.

Araqchi described the negotiations with the US today as pragmatic, and said, “The two sides might be able to get closer to solutions if the present trend continues.”

Araqchi reiterated that the Monday talks were satisfactory in general, and added, “We succeeded in making progress in the previous two rounds and I hope that we could also continue this progress in this round although there are still gaps because details are voluminous and complicated.”

Asked to comment on western delegations’ words about striking a joint memo or political understanding by the end of March, the Iranian deputy chief negotiator stressed, “This phrase is of no significance. The only goal is reducing the differences and reaching a solution.”

“There is no date and we would not accept setting a date before (attaining) this goal,” he continued.

He noted that there are still rifts in both technical and political dimensions, and said, “But technical issues can be helpful to the political discussions and eventually these are the political decisions which will help striking a final deal.”

Araqchi said all delegations will continue negotiations until Friday, and added, “Zarif and Kerry will be in Lausanne until Friday and I hope that the solutions in these few days help narrow the gaps.”

Zarif and Kerry held discussions for five hours in Lausanne on Monday. The meeting was also attended by Salehi, Araqchi, deputy foreign minister Majid Takht Ravanchi, President Rouhani’s Special Aide Hossein Fereidoun as well as Moniz and US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman.

Iran’s team of nuclear negotiators, headed by Zarif, arrived in Lausanne on Sunday.

The new round of talks is expected to end on March 20.

Iran and the G5+1 are negotiating to narrow their differences over Tehran’s nuclear energy program ahead of a July 1 deadline.

Iranian and American teams of negotiators held several days of talks in Geneva late in February. Then after two days of negotiations, Zarif, Salehi and Fereidoun as well as Kerry and Moniz joined their deputies in the talks.

Then Zarif traveled to Montreux, western Switzerland, two weeks ago for another three days of nuclear talks with Kerry.

Representatives of Iran and the G5+1 also had deputy-level negotiations in Montreux following the Zarif-Kerry meeting.

Both Iran and the G5+1 negotiators have underlined that cutting a final deal before the July 10 deadline is possible.

In relevant remarks earlier this month, Zarif said there was still a good chance for the success of the nuclear talks between Tehran and the world powers, but meantime underlined that failure of the negotiations would never mean the end of world to Iran.

“There is still an over 50-percent chance for the attainment of an agreement and I feel that both sides believe that success and attainment of an agreement will be much better and useful than failure in the negotiations; yet, failure in reaching an understanding will not be the end of the world but both sides have spent their time and political prestige in the success of these talks,” Zarif said in an interview.

He stressed that the chances for the failure of the talks would be alive as long as agreement was not attained on all issues and details, and said, “As it was said in the Geneva agreement (November 2013), as long as an agreement is not made on all issues, nothing has been agreed on.”

Asked about the removal of the sanctions against Iran, Zarif said, “Removal of the UN Security Council sanctions aren’t complicated and merely depends on the political will (of the other side).”