Extension of nuclear talks not on agenda: Diplomat
ILNA: An Iranian diplomatic source has told that extension of Tehran’s nuclear talks with six major world powers beyond the Monday deadline is not on the agenda of Vienna discussions.
The statement comes following media reports citing an unnamed Iranian source as saying on Sunday morning that it would be impossible to reach a final deal before November ۲۴ and that the two sides may consider a new extension.
The sources also told Press TV that despite the existing differences between the two sides, things can change at the very last minute, saying that progress made at each and every session can be very decisive.
Sources also say some previously contentious issues such as Arak heavy water reactor have been resolved and there are helpful proposals on the table which can pave the ground for the settlement of differences.
Possible scenarios are being considered; however, failure of the talks is considered to be very unlikely.
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, his US counterpart John Kerry and EU nuclear negotiator Catherine Ashton held another meeting at Vienna’s Coburg Hotel.
Meanwhile, Iranian Deputy Foreign Ministers Abbas Araqchi and Majid Takht - e - Ravanchi also held talks with delegates from China and the US as well as Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Ashton’s deputy Helga Schmid.
Later on Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is slated to head to the Austrian capital to join the nuclear negotiations.
The parties have been holding talks in Vienna over the past six days to hammer out a comprehensive deal on Tehran’s nuclear energy program. Diplomats say the two sides have made progress but big gaps still remain.
Last November, Iran and the P۵ + ۱ – Russia, China, France, Britain, the US and Germany - - clinched an interim nuclear accord that took effect on January ۲۰ and expired six months later. They agreed to extend their talks until November ۲۴ as they remained divided on a number of key issues.
Sources close to the Iranian negotiating team say the main stumbling block in the way of resolving the Western dispute over Iran’s nuclear energy program remains to be the removal of all the bans imposed on the country, and not the number of centrifuges or the level of uranium enrichment.
Tehran wants the sanctions entirely lifted while Washington, under pressure from the pro - Israeli lobby, insists that at least the UN - imposed sanctions should remain in place.