Iran-West talks lead to reticence
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva
The final round of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue
began in Vienna on November 18. It will continue until the decisive
date - November 24. "Six" international mediators (Russia, the US,
Great Britain, France, China and Germany) and Iran try to resolve
the remaining differences on Iran's nuclear program and the
procedure for lifting the sanctions.
The talks began with the officials’ optimistic statements about the
possibility of concluding an agreement for the previously agreed
deadline - November 24, but were subsequently followed by less
optimistic forecasts.
The talks among US Secretary of State John Kerry, EU coordinator
Catherine Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif lasted
about two and a half hours and ended in Vienna late in the evening
on Nov. 20. The consultations will continue today when French and
British Foreign Ministers Laurent Fabius and Philip Hammond will
arrive in Vienna.
The signing of the final agreement on Iran's nuclear program may be
postponed until March, Reuters reported citing the informed
sources. At present, it is possible to make a temporary or, at
best, a framework agreement, one of the Western diplomats told the
agency. It will allow working in the coming weeks and months, said
the source.
Such statements are not really encouraging. Within a year-long
intensive, almost ceaseless Iran-West negotiations, the sides still
could not come to West-acceptable set of rights for Iran's nuclear
program, as well as didn't resolve the issue of halting the
sanctions which undermined the Islamic Republic's economic
situation.
It is worth extending the work on the final nuclear agreement,
given that the sides have radically different approaches and vision
of this issue? It's possible to assert with certainty, that it's
highly unlikely.
It would be strange to expect that after 40 years, Tehran will
suddenly abandon efforts to develop nuclear energy. Iran’s nuclear
program has lived through the changes of political regimes,
economic sanctions and wars.
Tehran will not halt its nuclear program. And even if the current
Iranian administration headed by President Hassan Rouhani wants to
do it,he will not remain in power for long. Realizing this, the
administration’s representatives all the time state that Tehran has
the right to develop its nuclear program.
Amid the final round of negotiations in Vienna, the Head of the
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi said Tehran
doesn’t intend to give in to the P5+1 in the issue of limiting the
Arak reactor’s operation.
This is the same reactor, which became one of the main “stumbling
blocks” in the negotiations.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts believe that
the Arak reactor may be used by Iran for production of
weapons-grade plutonium. Tehran insists that its program is
exclusively for peaceful purposes.
After the recent pessimistic reports of the Western media outlets,
who, citing the IAEA authoritative experts, said that Iran may
posses five times the number of new generation centrifuges than
announced earlier, the belief in the solution of the Iranian issue
began to shrink quickly.
To make matters worse - a recent IAEA report said IRan doesn't
allow inspectors to the facilities, where allegedly secret military
works were conducted in the past.
So, it is apparent that by the “cherished” deadline, that is,
November 24, Iran and the mediators will not be able to come to any
agreement.
The foreign ministers of the countries participating in the talks
will gather in Vienna on Nov. 23 where, apparently, an attempt will
be taken to resolve the remaining issues, and ultimately extend the
deadline for signing a comprehensive policy document on Tehran's
nuclear program.