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Kerry Meets Iran's Zarif In Vienna Nuclear Talks

July 14, 2014
by RFE/RL

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, are meeting in Vienna as talks over Iran's nuclear program continue.

A senior U.S. State Department official told RFE/RL's Radio Farda in Vienna ahead of the July 14 talks that Kerry was ready to 'take the time necessary to gauge Iran's willingness to reach a solution to the crisis' and 'see if progress can be made.'

The foreign ministers of Britain, France, and Germany left Vienna after pressing Iran on July 13 to make key concessions.

Britain's William Hague said that no 'decisive breakthrough' was achieved and there remained a 'huge gap' on the issue of uranium enrichment.

The six powers, which also include Russia and China, want Iran to dramatically reduce the scope of its enrichment program, while Tehran wants to expand it.

With just six days remaining until a July 20 deadline to strike a deal, the face-to-face meeting of Kerry and Zariff appears to be a measure of both sides' determination to negotiate.

The high-level meeting in Vienna is notable, as the United States and Iran have not had diplomatic relations for three decades.

Many experts believe that if Kerry fails to get Iran to give ground, he will recommend to U.S. President Barack Obama that the July 20 deadline be pushed back.

But Michael Mann, a spokesman for EU foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda correspondent Hannah Kaviani in Vienna on July 14 that, for now, there is no talk of extending the deadline:

'Our first objective is to try and overcome all the problems before then. I don't think I am going to get into speculating about extensions because the moment people start to think about extensions, there is always the danger that people take their foot off the gas pedal,' Mann said. 'Our aim still remains to get a deal by' July 20.

That deadline was set in an interim deal in November that saw Western powers lifting some sanctions on Iran in exchange for Iran freezing or reducing some of its nuclear activities.

Western powers are seeking an accord with Iran that would finally dispel their fears Tehran might develop nuclear weapons under the guise of its civilian program.

Iran, which says its nuclear program is purely for energy production, denies seeking an atomic bomb and wants the lifting of all UN and Western sanctions, which have crippled its economy.

With reporting by Hannah Kaviani of RFE/RL's Radio Farda in Vienna, AP, and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-nuclear-kerry-zarif/25455921.html

Copyright (c) 2014. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.