GENEVA: Iran and the European Union (EU) have said that talks on implementing an agreement reached in November on Iran’s controversial nuclear program have witnessed very good progress; however the United States said there have been a few outstanding issues.
A two-day talks between Iran and the six world powers including the US, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany to sort out a mechanism to put into force the landmark interim deal struck between the two sides on November 24 concluded in the Swiss city of Geneva on Friday.
The spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, Michael Mann, said at the end of the talks, that “very good” progress was made “on all the pertinent issues,” and that the results will be consulted with more senior officials for validation.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Iranian media the Iranian deputy foreign minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi, who represented the Islamic Republic in the talks, said that “We had very intensified negotiations yesterday and today, but it was very good, very constructive, and we made good progress. We were able to find solutions for almost every question. There is no difference now between the two sides.”
“We have to take these solutions to the capitals for final confirmation,” Araqchi added.
However, the US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a news briefing that despite good progress made in the talks “there have been a few outstanding issues” and “reports that everything has been finalized are incorrect.”
On November 24, Iran with the US and five other world powers struck a historic nuclear deal in Geneva to pave the way for the full resolution of the decade-old dispute over its nuclear energy program.
As part of the deal which would last for the six-month period only, the world powers agreed to lift some of the existing sanctions against Iran, in exchange for Tehran’s confidence-building bid to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities.
