Last Round of Talks Between Zarif & Kerry Finished + Video

Sat Mar 28, 2015 17:24:34

The fourth round of talks between Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry ended in the Swiss town of Lausanne on Saturday, IRNA reports.

After the 1.5-hour meeting, the US Secretary of State John Kerry meet with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius within coming minutes.

The new round of nuclear talks started on Thursday March 26 in Lausanne and continues until Sunday.

The scale of Iran’s uranium enrichment and the timetable for the lifting of anti-Iran sanctions are seen as major sticking points in the talks.

The illegal sanctions on Iran have been imposed based on the unfounded accusation that Tehran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

Iran rejects the allegation, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Meanwhile German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday joined nuclear talks with Iran in Switzerland, saying the negotiations were in the "endgame".

"After 10 or almost 12 years of talks with Iran, the endgame, so to speak, is beginning here,"

Steinmeier told reporters before joining his US, French and Iranian counterparts in Lausanne ahead of a Tuesday deadline to agree the outlines of a deal.

Also French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius arrived Saturday at nuclear talks with Iran in Switzerland saying he wants to achieve a "robust" deal, AFP reports.

According to Reuters, Iran and major powers are close to agreeing a two- or three-page accord with specific numbers as the basis of a resolution of a 12-year standoff over Tehran's nuclear program, officials have told.

"The sides are very, very close to the final step and it could be signed or agreed and announced verbally," a senior Iranian official familiar with the talks told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

officials echoed the remarks while warning that several crucial issues were still being hotly debated.

The British and Russian foreign ministers were due to arrive in Lausanne over the weekend, along with a senior Chinese official.

One of the key numbers is expected to be the duration of the agreement, which the officials said would have to be in place for more than 10 years. Once it expired, there would probably be a period of special U.N. monitoring of Tehran's nuclear programme.

The deal would call for U.S., European Union and U.N. sanctions to be lifted according to a specific schedule, though some could be lifted very quickly, the officials said.

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