Baku, Azerbaijan, March 29
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi has said that one or two technical issues remain unsolved between Iran and the US while talks are on the run on Tehran's nuclear program.
One or two technical points are clogged, which if resolved, can show that we have reached a common understanding on technical issues, he said.
Speaking at a press conference in Lausanne, Switzerland where the talks are held, Salehi refrained from confirming if the negotiators are approaching an agreement, stating instead that the technical, legal, and political aspects of the talks are linked to each other, IRNA news agency reported March 29.
Salehi is covering the technical side of the negotiations for Iran and has held numerous meetings with US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz.
Iran and the group 5+1 (the US, UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany), as well as representatives from the EU are negotiating a way to a political understanding over Tehran's nuclear case by the end of March.
On March 28, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini made pessimistic remarks about the talks.
"As you know, we have never been so close to a deal. We still have some critical points that need to be solved, and we are working over the hours, over the weekend to bridge the gaps. I will not go into the details of the negotiations. It's not the right time to do it. I hope we manage to do it in the coming days," Mogherini told reports in Lausanne.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on the same day held separate talks with his German and French counterparts.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who joined the talks on March 28, said before his meeting with the Iranian FM that the negotiations were in the "endgame."
For March 29, Zarif is slated to have intensive negotiations with his US, Chinese, and Russian counterparts.
Salehi and his deputies are in the meantime going to meet Moniz and his assistants.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is also scheduled to arrive in Lausanne in the afternoon.
The negotiating parties are determined to reach a comprehensive agreement on the case by July 1.
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