"There still remain some difficult issues," Mr Kerry told a CNN reporter as he walked in his luxury lakeside hotel in the Swiss town of Lausanne.
"We are working very hard to work those through. We are working late into the night and obviously into tomorrow."
A deadline for the framework on a nuclear deal with Iran deal expires at midnight tomorrow and officials appealed to all parties to make a huge final effort.
For days Iran, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China have been trying to break an impasse in negotiations, aimed at stopping Tehran having the capacity to develop a nuclear bomb, in exchange for an easing of United Nations sanctions that are crippling its economy.
But earlier, officials at the talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne said attempts to reach a framework accord, which is intended as a prelude to a comprehensive agreement by the end of June, could yet fall apart.
Negotiators from all parties appeared increasingly pessimistic.
"If we don't have some type of framework agreement now, it will be difficult to explain why we would be able to have one by June 30," said a Western diplomat.
He said three major sticking points must be resolved if Iran and the six powers are to secure the deal before 31 March, and it is unclear whether those gaps could be filled.
The diplomat said the most difficult issues related to the duration of any limits on Iranian uranium enrichment and research and development activities after an initial ten years, the lifting of the sanctions and the restoring of them in case of non-compliance by Iran.
"It seems that we have an accord for the first ten years, but with regard to the Iranians the question of what happens after is complicated," the official said on condition of anonymity, adding: "I can't say what the final result will be."
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said there had been "some progress and some setbacks in the last hours".
Highlighting the general mood, a diplomat quoted by Chinese news agency Xinhua said the atmosphere today had turned from "optimism" to "gloom" among negotiators.
An adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticised the powers.
"Our negotiating team are trustworthy and compassionate officials that are working hard, but they should be careful with the enemies' deceptive and skillful tactics," the adviser, Ali Akbar Velayati, told Fars news agency.
In addition to US Secretary of State John Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Steinmeier, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, China's Wang Yi and Russia's Sergei Lavrov gathered at a 19th-century hotel overlooking Lake Geneva.
After the first meeting since November of all the ministers, Mr Lavrov returned to Moscow for an engagement, though officials said he would return if there was something to announce.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has campaigned against the negotiations, said in Jerusalem that the agreement being put together in Lausanne sends the message "that Iran stands to gain by its aggression".
http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0330/690848-iran-nuclear-talks/
30/3/15
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Nucléaire iranien: fin des discussions dans la nuit, confusion totale...
ReplyDeleteLes discussions sur le nucléaire iranien ont été suspendues dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi dans la confusion, la Russie et l'Iran évoquant des progrès, voire un début d'accord, tandis que les Etat-Unis assuraient que toutes les questions n'avaient pas été réglées. Le vent positif qui soufflait sur les négociations ce week-end semble évanoui.
Les chefs de la diplomatie du P5+1 (USA, Chine, France, Russie, Grande-Bretagne et Allemagne) et de l'Iran se sont séparés peu après 01H00 (locales et heure belge) mercredi, soit après l'expiration du délai du 31 mars fixé pour obtenir un accord préliminaire sur le nucléaire iranien.
Les discussions doivent reprendre mercredi matin tôt, mais la confusion régnait sur l'état de l'avancée des négociations.
"De bons progrès ont été accomplis dans les discussions. Nous avons décidé de recommencer vers 06 ou 07H00 et nous espérons conclure aujourd'hui (mercredi). Ensuite on commencera la rédaction" de l'accord final qui doit voir le jour d'ici fin juin, a déclaré l'Iranien Mohammad Javad Zarif.
"Pour la plupart des questions, les solutions ont été définies", a-t-il affirmé.
Encore plus optimiste, le Russe Sergueï Lavrov assurait à la presse russe: "On peut dire avec une relative certitude (que) nous sommes parvenus à un accord de principe sur tous les aspects clés d'un règlement de ce dossier, qui commencera à être couché sur le papier dans les prochaines heures".
Un optimisme démenti par un diplomate américain qui a assuré que "toutes les questions n'ont pas été réglées", tandis qu'une autre source occidentale estimait qu'un accord de principe n'avait "pas encore" été conclu...............http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_nucleaire-iranien-fin-des-discussions-dans-la-nuit-confusion-totale?id=8946195
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Nucléaire iranien: Washington n'exclut pas l'option militaire...
ReplyDeleteLes Etats-Unis n'excluent pas la possibilité de mener une opération militaire contre Téhéran en cas d'échec des négociations de Lausanne.
Le Pentagone n'exclut pas un recours à la force militaire contre l'Iran en cas d'échec des négociations sur son dossier nucléaire, a déclaré le secrétaire américain à la Défense Ashton Carter dans une interview à la chaîne TV NBC.
"L'option militaire reste sans aucun doute sur la table", a fait savoir le chef du Pentagone.
Dans le même temps, M.Carter a souligné que les parties intéressées devaient attendre le résultat des négociations qui se déroulent actuellement à Lausanne, en Suisse.
A la question de savoir si les Etats-Unis pourraient faire confiance aux responsables iraniens si les Six finissaient par signer un accord avec Téhéran, M.Carter a répondu que tout accord devait être basé sur la possibilité de vérifier son application...............http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20150401/1015421924.html#ixzz3W2yz233i
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P5+1, Iran About to Resume Talks on Tehran Nuclear Program in Lausanne...
ReplyDeleteThe P5+1 team of international negotiators and representatives of Iran are about to resume talks on Tehran's nuclear energy program and start drafting a preliminary deal, a source in a Western delegation told Sputnik Wednesday.
"Yes, they are about to start now and gather for the meeting. Some of the ministers will join later too," the source said.
On Wednesday, the sides are expected to start "writing down" the arrangements that the ministers agreed on the day before.
Tuesday was the deadline for Iran and P5+1 group, comprising Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Germany, to work out a preliminary framework for an agreement on Tehran's nuclear program. The sides did not manage to draw up a framework, and extended the negotiations into Wednesday.
P5+1 and Iran have been held several rounds of talks since November 2013, trying to convince Iran to limit its uranium enrichment, and guarantee its nuclear energy program is not developing nuclear weapons................http://sputniknews.com/politics/20150401/1020301317.html#ixzz3W30QeAoo
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