Kerry in Geneva to Close 'Gaps' In Iranian Nuclear Deal
by Al Pessin November 08, 2013
Foreign ministers from the United Nations contact group are arriving in Geneva on short notice, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, amid expectations that they will finalize a preliminary agreement to limit Iran's nuclear program and ease economic sanctions against Iran.
In a dramatic turn of events, Kerry interrupted a Middle East trip and arrived in Geneva Friday afternoon.
"There is not an agreement at this point and time," Kerry said, adding the U.S. is working with Western envoys to "see if we can narrow some differences" with iran negotiators.
"I want to emphasize that there are still some very important issues at the table that are unresolved," Kerry added. "I don't think anybody should mistake that there are some important gaps that have to be closed.'
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to join talks on Saturday, the Russian Itar-Tass News agency reported, citing diplomatic sources. The agency reports said Lavrov's presence may bolster negotiations. Lavrov told reporters in Moscow on Friday that Russia favors a solution that recognizes Iran's right to have a peaceful nuclear program and enrich uranium under the watch of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The moves came after Iran's foreign minister said his delegation and the U.N. contact group were closing in on an agreement.
Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif told CNN late Thursday Iran is prepared to address some of the international community's concerns about its nuclear program, while maintaining it has the right to enrich uranium - a key step toward building a nuclear bomb.
He said agreement was possible by Friday evening, but would not provide details.
In Washington, White House spokesman Jay Carney hinted at the outlines of a deal.
'This would stop Iran's nuclear program for the first time in a decade,' he said. 'In exchange for concrete, verifiable measures to address the P5+1's concerns during the first step the P5+1 would consider limited, targeted and reversible relief that does not affect our core sanctions architecture."
Officials have indicated Iran may at least temporarily stop enriching uranium to near weapons grade, but will maintain the ability to resume.
Iran says it does not want a nuclear weapon, but the U.N. Security Council wants limits on how close it can get and inspections to prove it is complying.
Announcement expected
The arrival of Kerry and the other foreign ministers sets the stage for a senior-level negotiating session and possibly a significant announcement.
In an interview with NBC News, U.S. President Barack Obama stressed the need for Iran to begin to live up to what he called its international obligations on its nuclear program.
"So we don't have to trust them,' Obama said. 'What we have to do is to make sure that there is a good deal in place from the perspective of us verifying what they're doing. And that they're actually moving in the right direction."
But while Obama referred to 'a good deal,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed a decidedly different view Friday, when Kerry stopped in Israel to brief him.
Netanyahu said a reduction of Iran's ability to enrich uranium should be part of any agreement.
'Iran got the deal of the century and the international community got a bad deal,' he said. 'This is a very bad deal. Israel utterly rejects it."
Diplomats here in Geneva stress that this accord, is only a first step, and that sanctions will be reimposed, and potentially strengthened, if it doesn't work out
An agreement during only the second round of talks with Iran's new government would come in part due to the intense pressure both sides are under from hardliners back home, who will criticize and likely try to block any compromise.
The officials acknowledge they have to move fast, and deliver results that both sides can say fulfill their goals.
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