Diplomatic stalemate: Iran backs out of nuclear talks with the West

 

November 11, 2013 – MIDDLE EAST – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said Iran backed out of a deal on its nuclear program during talks with world powers in Geneva on Saturday. Amid reports that France’s reservations scuppered an agreement, Mr. Kerry told reporters in Abu Dhabi: “The French signed off on it; we signed off on it.” Iran had been unable to accept the deal “at that particular moment,” he added. Mr. Kerry said he hoped in the next few months they could “find an agreement that meets everyone’s standards.” Representatives from Iran and the so-called P5+1 – the US, UK, France, Russia and China plus Germany – will meet again on 20 November. Iran stresses that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, but world powers suspect it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. In a separate development on Monday, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano, said the agency had agreed a “roadmap for co-operation’ with Iran to help resolve remaining issues. Six specific access or information issues will be addressed over the next three months, offering a clear test of Iran’s willingness to provide greater clarity about its activities, says the BBC’s diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus. Progress between Iran and the IAEA is seen by experts as a vital parallel track to the talks between Iran and the major powers, he says. Mr. Amano said the deal was “an important step.”

It opens the way for inspectors to visit a heavy-water plant being built in Arak and the Gachin uranium mine in Bandar Abbas, and for measures requested by the UN watchdog to be implemented. Tehran says the reactor in Arak is intended for the production of radioisotopes for medical purposes, but its spent fuel will contain plutonium suitable for use in nuclear weapons. Some reports said the latest talks failed because France had wanted to place tight restrictions on the facility in Arak. However, US diplomats said the Iranian government’s insistence on formal recognition of its ‘right’ to enrich uranium had been the major obstacle. The Jerusalem Post quoted a senior US official as saying the P5+1 had approved a working document, but that it had been “too tough” for the Iranians. Speaking at a news conference with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday, Mr. Kerry said: “The P5+1 was unified on Saturday when we presented our proposal to the Iranians. The French signed off on it, we signed off on it, and everybody agreed it was a fair proposal. Iran couldn’t take it at that particular moment; they weren’t able to accept.” –BBC