Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Iran, P5+1 Negotiators Remain Deadlocked – Collapse of Moscow Talks Possible

Negotiators from Iran and P5+1 have reportedly remained deadlocked in the second day of talks in Moscow, and the Russians are trying to save the talks from collapse. AP reported that Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister and negotiator at the talks met twice with Iran’s negotiator Saeed Jalili today to pursue Iran to accept the P5+1 proposal to halt its 20-percent uranium enrichment program. The Iranians in turn are proposing that all sanctions against the country to be lifted before they could agree to any compromise on enrichment.
  
“We agree that Iran must undertake serious efforts aimed at restoring international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program,” US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a joint statement yesterday after meeting on the sidelines of the meeting of G-20 nations in Mexico.

But an Iranian negotiator who demanded anonymity told reporters in Moscow that if the six major powers accept Iran's conditions “there will be a big progress in a short period of time. But if they pursue the path they've been following, any progress in the talks will be stalled.” [AP, 19 June].

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