Diplomats to Buckle Down to Draft Nuclear Deal Wednesday: Iran’s Zarif
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the task of drafting the text of a final nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers will vigorously begin as soon as Wednesday in New York.
Zarif, who is New York for the Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference, told reporters on Tuesday night that diplomats from Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) will get down to the drafting process full-time from Wednesday.
He made the comments after a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry.
“In the meeting (with Kerry), it was agreed that we and the (Group) 5+1 seriously resume drafting the text from this week and continue the job in the next week to obtain the final text,” Zarif explained.
The Iranian minister, however, described drafting as a “time-consuming” process, adding that the parties are determined to spend whatever time needed for the job and continue the talks at any level, either experts, political directors or even ministers.
He said the European Union’s delegation would also arrive in New York on Wednesday, adding that drafting the accord will continue within the next weeks in Europe.
As regards the internal discussions in the US over a possible nuclear deal with Iran, Zarif said he has expressed Tehran’s concerns about that issue in his meeting with Kerry.
“In the meetings, the American delegation once again assured us that if an agreement is reached, the US government will be committed to implement it,” he explained.
“What we expect the US administration and the other governments is that they remain committed to their international obligations,” the Iranian minister added.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (also known as the P5+1 or E3+3) are in talks to hammer out a lasting accord that would end more than a decade of impasse over Tehran's peaceful nuclear program.
On April 2, the two sides reached a framework nuclear agreement after more than a week of intensive negotiations in Lausanne, Switzerland, with both sides committed to push for a final deal until the end of June.
