I/II. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32111464
Iran nuclear talks: Intensive talks before key deadline 45 minutes ago From the section Middle East Foreign ministers from six world powers are meeting their Iranian counterpart, amid hopes of a breakthrough after almost 18 months of negotiations. They want to impose limits that would prevent Iran from producing enough fuel for a nuclear weapon within a year. Iran, which insists its nuclear programme is peaceful, wants to see crippling sanctions lifted in return. Iranian and Western officials have said that a deal is possible, but that some issues are still to be resolved. 'No compromise' The negotiations in Lausanne were expected to intensify on Monday, with foreign ministers from the so-called P5+1 - comprising the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany - meeting Iran's Mohammad Javad Zarif. The EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is also there. Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier (centre) at the nuclear talks in Lausanne, Switzerland (30 March 2015) Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier (centre) said the "endgame" of the negotiations had begun They are aiming to agree on a political framework by Tuesday night that would set the stage for talks on the technical details of a comprehensive accord, due by 30 June. "We are here because we believe a deal can be done," UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told reporters as he arrived in Lausanne on Sunday night. "But it has to be a deal which puts the bomb beyond Iran's reach," he added. "There can't be any compromise about that." line At the scene: Lyse Doucet, BBC News, Lausanne It's going down to the proverbial wire in this crucial round of nuclear talks. One Western diplomat spoke of "some quite important gaps". Two main disputes continue to be which sanctions will be lifted and when, and what kind of nuclear research and development Iran can still pursue. As Iran's team sits with all six foreign ministers, observers say it's still not clear if they're engaging in high stakes bargaining or have no more political space to move forward. For Iran, elements like ending sanctions tied to UN Security Council resolutions matter in financial and political terms. For world powers, "putting the bomb beyond Iran's reach" is the main imperative. All sides indicate talks could slip past Tuesday's self-imposed deadline, into the early hours of Wednesday. All sides use the word "tough" to describe this historic endgame. Even if they agree a framework, there's still a huge amount of work ahead to draft a final deal by the end of June. line Mr Zarif, who has been holding talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry since Thursday, said he believed they could "make the necessary progress to be able to resolve all the issues and start writing them down". The BBC's Barbara Plett Usher in Lausanne says the essence of the emerging deal is to keep Iran at least one year away from being able to produce enough nuclear fuel for a single weapon. Iranian representatives, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (left), at the nuclear talks in Lausanne, Switzerland (30 March 2015) Iran's representatives at the talks want a "precise framework" for the lifting of sanctions Bushehr nuclear power plant (2009) Iran says it needs to be able to enrich uranium to produce fuel for the Bushehr nuclear power plant Those restrictions would last at least a decade, and include rigorous inspections of its nuclear facilities, in exchange for an end to crippling sanctions, our correspondent adds. According to US officials, among the core outstanding issues are: Centrifuges - Western powers want to limit Iran's research and development of advanced centrifuges, which could enrich uranium faster and in greater quantities. While enriched uranium is used as fuel for nuclear reactors, it can also be used to make nuclear bombs Fuel stockpiles - the US wants most of Iran's existing stockpiles of enriched uranium to be shipped abroad, but the lead Iranian negotiator says it is no longer willing to do so Sanctions relief - Iran wants the UN sanctions suspended soon after an agreement. Western officials say they should be eased in a phased manner, with restrictions on imports of nuclear-related technology remaining for years Length of restrictions - Iran's nuclear activities would be limited for at least 10 years. After that, Iran wants all limits to be lifted. The P5+1 say they should be removed progressively over the following five years Military dimensions - The P5+1 wants Iran to open up about its past nuclear work, including answering questions on its possible military dimensions. Tehran has so far refused On Sunday, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to the proposed deal, saying it "bears out all of our fears, and even more than that". The speaker of the US House of Representatives, John Boehner, meanwhile said he did not "understand why we would sign an agreement with a group of people who in my opinion have no intention of keeping their word". Opponents of a deal in Congress have threatened to impose fresh sanctions on Iran in mid-April, threatening to scupper the negotiations. Graphic II. http://news.yahoo.com/iran-says-no-nuclear-deal-yet-issues-still-155828379.html Iran nuclear talks race towards key deadline By Siavosh Ghazi and Simon Sturdee 1 hour ago Lausanne (AFP) - Foreign ministers from major powers pressed their Iranian counterpart on Monday as they sought to slot into place the final but also the trickiest pieces of a deal curtailing Tehran's nuclear programme as Tuesday's deadline loomed. Related Stories Israeli PM lashes out as Iran nuclear talks intensify AFP Netanyahu win has no impact on Iran nuclear talks: US AFP Officials: Iran nuke talks solving some issues, not others Associated Press US, Iran warn 'tough' choices needed for nuclear deal AFP 'Rollercoaster' Iran nuclear talks in the balance AFP Britain's Philip Hammond said as he became the last of the foreign ministers to arrive in a rainy Switzerland that they "believe a deal can be done". "But it has to be a deal which puts the bomb beyond Iran's reach," he said. With time of the essence, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Hammond and the top diplomats of Russia, China, France and Germany are meeting for the first time since November. They have set a deadline of midnight on Tuesday to agree the outlines of a deal that they hope will put an Iranian nuclear bomb out of reach and end a crisis that has threatened to escalate dangerously for the past 12 years. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that after 18 months of negotiations, they were in the "endgame". Iran's lead negotiator Abbas Aragchi said they were in the "final phase". View galleryP5+1 European Union officials and Iranian officials … P5+1 European Union officials and Iranian officials wait for the start of a meeting on Iran's nu ... But Aragchi also said the talks were "very difficult" while Steinmeier cautioned that the "final metres are the most difficult". The framework deal, if it can be hammered out, is meant to be finalised by June 30. But opponents have already been lining up to say it stops short of ensuring Iran does not get the bomb. These include US President Barack Obama's Republican opponents and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Sunday launched a blistering attack on the "dangerous" deal. "I just don't understand why we would sign an agreement with a group of people who in my opinion have no intention of keeping their word," US House Speaker John Boehner told CNN. Israel is widely believed to be the sole, if undeclared, nuclear-armed power in the Middle East. View gallery(L-R) US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy … (L-R) US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman, Secretary of State John Kerry, Secreta ... - Jigsaw puzzle - Western diplomats say that some areas in what would be a highly complex jigsaw puzzle of an accord are tentatively ready to be put into place. But they caution there is a long way to go. One Western diplomat said Iran had "more or less" agreed to slash the number of its centrifuge enrichment machines from 20,000 to 6,000 and to ship abroad most of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium. This would make it a much more lengthy process to further purify these stocks to weapons-grade, were Iran to attempt to do so. Iran denies having any such aim, saying its programme is purely peaceful. Iranian officials dismissed the numbers as "speculation", with Aragchi saying ruling out sending the stocks abroad, although he said "other options" were being examined. View gallery(L-R) German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, … (L-R) German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, French counterpart Laurent Fabius and Chinese ... "We have almost come to a solution, but it is out of the question to send the stocks abroad," Aragchi said. This could include diluting the low-enriched uranium or converting it to another form. But nevertheless Iranian officials have expressed guarded optimism that a breakthrough may be at hand. "Getting to an accord is doable. Solutions have been found for numerous questions. We are still working on two or three issues," Aragchi said. In addition to scaling down its nuclear programme, the powers want the facilities that remain to be subject to an unprecedented level of inspections by the UN atomic watchdog to ensure there is no cheating. Its underground facility at Fordo would also likely be barred from uranium enrichment, diplomats said, although it might be kept open for research purposes. One of the thorniest issues is the lifting of UN, EU and US sanctions that have choked Iran's economy by strangling its oil exports and banks. Aragchi said Sunday there must be a "precise framework" for lifting sanctions. The duration of any deal -- the US wants at least 10 and possibly up to 15 years -- is also a point of contention. "There are six (UN Security Council) resolutions that have to be annulled," Aragchi said. But a senior US official said all sides had agreed to a phased, step-by-step approach, although the exact formula had yet to be found. Another difficult area is possible limits Iran's research and development of newer, faster centrifuges, which would in theory enable it to make material for a weapon much more quickly. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
