Geneva – Abbas Aragchi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister who is currently leading talks here between Iran and world powers known as the P5+1, told IPS News in an interview this morning at his hotel that Iran is willing to implement the Additional Protocol in the final stage of a mutually agreed upon nuclear deal. “The Additional Protocol is a part of the endgame,” Araghchi told IPS. “It’s on the table, but not for the time being, it’s a part of the final step,” he said.
According to the Arms Control Center, the Additional Protocol “is a legal document granting the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] complementary inspection authority to that provided in underlying safeguards agreements.” The voluntary but advanced nuclear safeguards standard, the implementation of which includes a legal document, was introduced in the mid-1990s and implemented earlier by Iran in 2003. “The Additional Protocol requires States to provide an expanded declaration of their nuclear activities and grants the Agency broader rights of access to sites in the country,” according to the IAEA’s website.

 

Asked whether he was expecting any breakthroughs today after an initial positive first day of the two-day talks scheduled here in Geneva, Araghchi said, “Any break through depends on the other side.”

He also expressed much of the same “cautious optimism” that an EU official noted here yesterday after Iran presented its new proposal to the P5+1, the details of which remain under wraps.

“For the first time, very detailed technical discussions continued this afternoon,” said Michael Mann, the Spokesperson for EU High Representative, Catherine Ashton, yesterday. A senior State Department official had offered the same statement.

“We made a very good, logical and balanced proposal yesterday,” said Araghchi, referring to the PowerPoint presentation that was presented by the official head of Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is Iran’s Foreign Minister. We are looking forward this morning to hearing from [the P5+1] on their counter proposal, what their reaction is today and their evaluation of our proposal,” he said.

“It’s to soon to talk about whether we have made any progress but maybe this afternoon when we’ve heard from them we can come to a conclusion if everything is going well,” he added.

“I have a good feeling about it but I cannot judge now,” Araghchi told IPS. He then repeated Iran’s earlier call for identifying and establishing an “end game” for a nuclear deal.

“We believe to make an agreement now, we need to come to an agreement on the common objective, the end game, the final step and the first step,” Aragchi said.

“It’s not useful to decide only on the first step and take that without having a clear picture of the future and the destination,” he said.

“So it’s very important to set the common objective that both sides can agree on,” said Araghchi.

Araghchi also told IPS News that Iran is expecting to return with the P5+1 to Geneva, but did not confirm whether the next round of talks would occur at the ministerial level.

“There is a common understanding that we have to meet again soon,” he said. “The level is not decided yet.”

By Lobe Log

 

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