World powers, Iran extend nuke talks

IRAN and world powers are battling to break the deadlock in the crisis over Tehran's nuclear drive.

Talks in Kazakhstan have been extended into the evening after a day of exhausting diplomacy on Saturday.

Officials from both sides are tight-lipped over whether any progress had been made but discussions continued longer than expected.

So far they have failed to resolve the main issue of whether Iran will accept limits on its nuclear program in return for some relief on the sanctions that have hurt the Islamic republic's economy in the past two years.

The world powers - comprised of the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany and known collectively as the P5+1 - are represented by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Iran's team is led by top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili who has until now held out little hope of concessions from Tehran.

An Iranian official close to the negotiations in the Kazakh city of Almaty said Tehran submitted a "detailed proposal" on Saturday that set off the day's negotiations.

But sources added that the parties still could not agree on details as well as the vital subject of where and when to meet again.

As well as bilateral discussions, the two sides held a plenary meeting in the morning, then continued in the afternoon. Another plenary session took place in the evening, officials said.

The two sides had held an indecisive first day of meeting on Friday that ended with only an agreement to meet again and Western officials admitting the positions were still far apart.

Ashton started Saturday by meeting Jalili in the hope of establishing whether Tehran's position had shifted from its tough demands of the previous day.

Both sides acknowledge differences despite growing Western fears about the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program.

Iran insists on international recognition of its asserted "right" to enrich uranium and wants that condition to be a part of any deal.

The world powers on the other hand say the onus is on Iran to take the first step to guarantee its nuclear program is and has been exclusively peaceful.

They insist on Tehran ending enrichment to high levels and verifiably suspending operations at the Fordo mountain bunker where such activity takes place before recognising Iran's nuclear rights to less threatening activities.

The P5+1 grouping is especially worried about Iran's enrichment to levels of up to 20 per cent and wants the Islamic republic to ship out the part of its 20-per cent enriched uranium not converted into powder for reactor fuel.

Iran denies it is developing the atomic bomb and argues that it requires a nuclear program solely for peaceful medical and energy needs.

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

World powers, Iran extend nuke talks

Dengan url

http://jamdindingin.blogspot.com/2013/04/world-powers-iran-extend-nuke-talks.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

World powers, Iran extend nuke talks

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

World powers, Iran extend nuke talks

sebagai sumbernya