No nuclear deal without removal of all sanctions: Iran

Europe, Middle East, News April 1, 2015 , by IRIA No Comments

The extended talks on the Iranian nuclear issue may wrap up on Wednesday, Iran’s negotiators said. But Tehran insists the lifting of international sanctions was the first step in the deal currently being bargained in Switzerland.

“It is not possible to have a deal without lifting sanctions, all sanctions must be removed,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday.

The Iranian official pointed to the difficulty of the task to see all sanctions removed all at once, stressing, however, that the lifting of major economic and oil embargoes constitutes the cornerstone in any agreement.

“…The type and the entity by which the sanctions have been imposed are very variable, they must be distinguished, but we insist that in the first step of the agreement all economic, financial, oil and banking sanctions must be lifted,” Araqchi said.

The Iranian negotiator also stated that the removal of sanctions should be based on a “clear and precise perspective, otherwise there would definitely be no deal.”

Araqchi added that minor but key problems still remain in front of the two sides, which are mostly related to the issues of sanctions as well as research and development on Iran’s advanced centrifuge machines.

“Until we have solutions to all problems we cannot have a comprehensive agreement,” AFP quoted Araqchi as saying.

“We insist that the lifting of financial, bank and oil industry sanctions was the first step and on a clear roadmap for lifting the rest of the sanction,” Abbas Araqchi, Iranian deputy FM told the media.

The statement comes as hard negotiations on the Iranian nuclear controversy in Lausanne passed the Tuesday midnight deadline and continued. The foreign ministers of China, Russia and France left the country saying they would return if necessary.

French FM Laurent Fabius remarked that while the talks produced progress, it was not enough to reach a deal. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said a deal would only be possible once all points of disagreement are settled.

Iran and six world powers are negotiating a framework deal, which will hopefully lead to a final agreement by June. It would insure that Iran would not try to produce a nuclear weapon in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. Tehran insists that it’s not pursuing a nuclear capability, but some nations have accused it of having a clandestine military nuclear program.

As the talks passed the deadline on Tuesday, China warned that the parties must be willing to compromise to reach an agreement.

“In this final phase all parties must be prepared to meet each other halfway in order to reach an agreement. If the negotiations are stuck, all previous efforts will be wasted,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a statement after leaving Lausanne.

The most vocal opponent of the negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said it was time for the international community to stand its ground and insist on a better deal.

“A better deal would significantly roll back Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. A better deal would link the eventual lifting of the restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program to a change in Iran’s behavior,” he said.

The Israeli government insists the lifting of sanctions would pave the way for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and warned that it would not be bound by the deal, if it is reached in Switzerland.

RT/MS/MKA/SS