February 20, 2014 | Quote
Iran Talks Set Five-Month Plan for Race to Final Nuclear Accord
Iran and world powers set a schedule for five months of negotiations in a race to agree on a definitive nuclear accord before their interim deal expires in July.
Government experts from the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Russia, China and Iran will try to address the most contentious aspects of Iran’s disputed nuclear activities, said European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who leads talks with Iran on behalf of the six. Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will meet monthly, with the next gathering set for Vienna on March 17. Before that, Ashton will make a first visit to Tehran, Zarif said.
Both sides used the talks in the Austrian capital to probe each other’s willingness to compromise. Even so, reaching a comprehensive accord that puts international concerns to rest and is acceptable to Iran is something that both U.S. President Barack Obama and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have cautioned may be out of reach.
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If the easing of trade curbs sparks a modest economic recovery in Iran, that may fuel “concerns that the United States and its partners are losing critical negotiating leverage to persuade Tehran to make meaningful nuclear concessions,” said Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who has pressed Congress to adopt tougher sanctions.