No New Proposal by Group 5+1 in Nuclear Talks, Iran Says
VIENNA (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman dismissed reports that the world powers have put forward new proposals in Vienna talks aimed at reaching a definitive accord on Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program by a November 24 deadline.
Speaking to reporters in Vienna on Friday evening, Marziyeh Afkham dismissed as “unfounded” the speculation that the G5+1 (also known as P5+1 or E3+3) has come up with new proposals in a fresh round of negotiations that started on Tuesday.
She referred to Iran as the only party to the talks that has already come up with new, innovative ideas to break the deadlock in nuclear negotiations.
“The intensive, multiple bilateral and multilateral negotiations have been held over the past three days on the basis of the multiple ideas and innovations offered by the Iranian negotiating team, the most recent of which was proposed in Muscat,” she explained.
She noted that the talks will go on at the political and expert levels.
Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said despite the extensive negotiations in Vienna, the sextet did not make any significant proposal.
“There were many discussions during Vienna negotiations, but there were no new ideas and no significant proposal that I could take to Tehran,” Zarif said.
Reuters reported on Friday that Foreign Minister Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry are discussing and preparing new ideas that could be shown to both countries' capitals.
Since Tuesday, senior diplomats from Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) have launched a new round of talks in Vienna to draft a lasting accord, meant to end years of Western standoff over Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program.
The talks are expected to continue until November 24, a self-imposed deadline for the talks.
