Despite uncertainties, talks about Iran's nuclear programme resume in Geneva
Geneva (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Representatives from Iran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany) began their third round of talks in six weeks toward a deal on Iran's nuclear programme.
The meeting comes a day after the Iranian Embassy in Beirut was hit by suicide bombs that killed 25 people, an attack Tehran blamed on its main adversaries, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
This time, there is more caution compared to the previous meeting, which ended in an impasse despite the initial optimism.
Speaking at the issue, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned, "There are limits" to what Iran's is willing to do because " we will not step back one iota from our rights".
For Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who heads the Iranian delegation in Geneva, talks with major powers were "difficult", explaining and that an agreement was unlikely if Iran's rights on nuclear issues were not respected, including its right to enrich uranium.
Despite his optimism about the upcoming meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Javid Zarif insisted in a message posted on YouTube that Tehran expects and demands "respect for our dignity".
"For us Iranians," he explained, "nuclear energy is not about joining [a] club or threatening others." Instead, it "is about a leap, a jump toward deciding our own destiny rather than allowing others to decide for us."
A recent report by the UN Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) partially backs the Iranian position. Only four rudimentary centrifuges were added to the Natanz reactor between August and September.
UN experts note that the Iranians have more than 7,000 kg of uranium enriched to 5 per cent (U-235) and 196 kilograms enriched to 20 per cent, not enough to build nuclear weapons, and an amount that is below Israel's red line of 240 kg.
What is more, some of the uranium enriched at 20 per cent has been converted into fuel rods, making it very hard to convert it into fissile material suitable for a nuclear device.
Since his election, reformist President Hassan Rouhani has reshuffled relations in the Security Council. At present, the United States, Great Britain, Germany, China and Russia appear to favour diplomacy; only France has taken a hawkish position sanctions.
The United States is one of the strongest supporters of talks with Iran. "We have the opportunity to halt the progress of the Iranian programme and roll it back in key respects, while testing whether a comprehensive resolution can be achieved," the White House said in a statement.
In a personal pitch, Obama told US senators that an agreement will depend on whether Iran will continue to enrich uranium and plutonium and develop its Arak reactor.
The president also rejected reports that Iran would receive at least US$ 40 billion in sanctions relief.
Like the US, the UK has changed its attitude towards the Islamic Republic. British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday became the first British head of government in more than a decade to speak with an Iranian president on phone.
His spokesman said both leaders agreed that significant progress had been made in the recent Geneva negotiations and that it was important to "seize the opportunity presented by the further round of talks".
The only dissenting voice in the group of 5 +1 is France. After scuttling the deal reached at the 8 November summit, Paris has sided with the intransigent position of Israel and Saudi Arabia, filling the de facto diplomatic vacuum left by the United States on the issue.
"France will not give way on nuclear proliferation," Hollande said on Monday after he arrived in Israel for meetings with Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "So long as we are not certain that Iran has renounced nuclear arms, we will keep in place all our demands and sanctions." For the French president, "Iran is a threat to Israel, to the region, and to the whole world."
As the staunchest opponent to the Iranian nuclear programme, Israel claims that Tehran is deceiving the world. In order to stop a possible agreement between the 5 +1 Group and Iran, Netanyahu flew to Russia where today he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In its attempt to achieve hegemony in the region, Saudi Arabia has backed Israel's position against Tehran.
Still, the new ties between Jerusalem and Riyadh have prompted many analysts to come up with imaginative speculation.
Following an article published by the Sunday Times, leading Israeli newspapers said that Mossad chief Tamir Pardo met with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, in a secret location to reach a secret deal to attack Iran's nuclear plants.
But on Monday, a Saudi official responded to the Sunday Times article by saying that the kingdom "has no relations or contacts with Israel of any kind or at any level".
.png)
01/05/2021 08:00
