Iran,6 powers may make progress at nuclear talks
After years of failure,Iran and world powers may finally make some progress on n-negotiations.
After years of failure,Iran and the six world powers may finally make some progress on nuclear negotiations when they meet again on Saturday if each side shows willingness to offer concessions the other seeks.
But even if the two sides find enough common ground,they may have a tougher time in any potential second round. That’s when the six powers will likely seek further commitments from Tehran to reduce fears that it could use its uranium enrichment programme to make the fissile core of nuclear missiles.
Iran has proposed Baghdad as a possible venue for any follow-up meeting,and a European diplomat said today the six could agree to meet there in May if there were enough progress in Istanbul. He demanded anonymity because he was not authorised to publicly reveal the confidential information.
As it comes to the table in Istanbul,the West’s strongest hand is linked to its sanctions on Iran,penalties that have been tightened in recent months as the US and EU have taken aim at Iran’s main cash cow: oil. Tehran in turn,may dangle the prospect of halting high-level uranium enrichment,a process that would shorten the path to making warhead material should it opt for that route.
Diplomats from some of the six powers,who agreed to discuss meeting strategy with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity,said rolling back existing sanctions would be premature and too much of a reward if Iran offers no more than discussions about stopping its enrichment of uranium to 20 per cent.
Other sanctions are still unfolding. US moves to punish any bank,company or government that does business with Iran’s central bank,its main conduit of oil trade,are to take full effect June 28,just three days before a full oil embargo from the European Union kicks in.
The European diplomat said it was unlikely Western powers would use the talks to offer the possibility of putting the oil penalties on hold if Tehran shows readiness to compromise on 20-per cent enrichment and other demands put forward tomorrow by the six — the United States,Russia,China,Britain,France and Germany.
But the US and the EU would be free to review them independently outside of the talks framework and suspend any new penalties now in the works if the nuclear dialogue showed signs of progress,and US Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes suggested Washington would respond positively to any meaningful Iranian overture.
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