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West prepared to ‘show flexibility’ in Iran nuclear talks | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The British foreign secretary has said the west is prepared to show “some flexibility” in nuclear negotiations with Iran, if Tehran did the same. | |
Philip Hammond was speaking on arrival at Vienna to join the talks at a moment of confusion. The delegations had signalled there would be a pause on Friday evening to allow foreign ministers to fly out to consult their capitals. But Iranian officials later said their country’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, had put off his flight to Tehran, saying not enough progress had been made to justify the trip. | |
Hammond said: “I’m not going to go into the detail but there has been positive discussions. There’s a very cordial atmosphere. It’s clear that both sides want to get a deal done. But none of us want to do a bad deal and we’re very clear we have to get more flexibility from the Iranians. In return, we’re prepared to show some flexibility on our side. But time is short. | Hammond said: “I’m not going to go into the detail but there has been positive discussions. There’s a very cordial atmosphere. It’s clear that both sides want to get a deal done. But none of us want to do a bad deal and we’re very clear we have to get more flexibility from the Iranians. In return, we’re prepared to show some flexibility on our side. But time is short. |
“There is clearly an interest on the Iranian side to get a deal done. The prize for Iran is huge. Access to very large amounts of frozen assets, the ability to trade freely with the world again, and the ability to reset relationships with the international community, so there is a huge prize on the table for Iran.” | “There is clearly an interest on the Iranian side to get a deal done. The prize for Iran is huge. Access to very large amounts of frozen assets, the ability to trade freely with the world again, and the ability to reset relationships with the international community, so there is a huge prize on the table for Iran.” |
Arriving a few minutes before Hammond, his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius urged Iran to “seize this opportunity” for an agreement. A comprehensive deal, which would have to involve Iranian acceptance of significant curbs on its programme in return for sanctions relief, would end a 12-year standoff over its nuclear aspirations. | |
Fabius and Hammond were due to return to their capitals on Friday evening, while the US secretary of state, John Kerry, in Vienna since Thursday, plans to go to Paris, possibly for discussions with the French government. France has been the most sceptical among western allies about the benefits of a deal which would allow Iran to maintain a significant uranium enrichment programme. | |