Negotiators at Iran talks said to aim for March 29 agreement
By Bloomberg
Negotiators aim to conclude a political framework on Iran’s nuclear program by March 29, diplomats said as talks in Switzerland resumed after a week-long break.
Reaching an agreement by Sunday is a best-case scenario and the sides may be forced to go until March 31, according to three European and U.S. officials, who asked not to be named in line with diplomatic rules. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is provisionally scheduled to attend an event with President Barack Obama and Senate leaders on March 30.
Kerry resumed talks on Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the Beau Rivage Palace on the shores of Lake Geneva in Lausanne. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is scheduled to join them from March 27 to 29. Top diplomats from China, France, Germany, and the U.K may also attend this weekend.
Diplomats are still wrangling over how they’ll define the accord as well as the extent to which details will be released, the diplomats said. In November, negotiators gave themselves until the end of this month to agree on a “political framework” that would lead to a final accord by July 1.
While U.S. officials insist that any declaration of understanding needs hard numbers and details, the Iranian delegation prefers to hold off on specifics until the technical annexes of the agreement are finished, according to the officials.
The sides may try to compromise by drafting a joint declaration that emphasizes agreements in principle on the scope of Iran’s nuclear program and the pace of sanctions relief. Obama administration officials have committed to brief skeptical Congressional representatives who are considering legislation that could complicate talks.
Following the last round of negotiations, which concluded March 20 in Lausanne, Kerry and Zarif both said that progress toward and agreement had been made, though significant technical hurdles still separated them.