P5+1 FMs sit down for crunch talks on Iran's nuclear program

The foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China, plus Germany went into Monday's meeting on the eve of a final deadline for reaching an agreement with no guarantee that they would be successful. The group sitting across the table from the Iranian delegation has been popularly dubbed the "P5+1" group.

The parties at the table entered the talks with slightly different assessments of how close they were to reaching a comprehensive deal based on a framework agreement hammered out in the Swiss city of Lausanne back in April.

"Still nothing is clear. ... Some differences remain and we are trying and working hard," Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters prior to Monday's session.

His Chinese counterpart, Wang-Yi, appeared slightly more optimistic, stressing that the agreement being sought was within reach.

"What is important today and tomorrow (is that) all parties, especially the United States and Iran, should make their final decisions as quickly as possible," Wang said.

Bilateral talks

Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry held a series of meetings in anticipation of Monday's negotiations, in an effort to bridge the differences between the two sides' positions. Following their bilateral talks, Kerry said that he believed a deal was possible this week, but only if Iran made the "hard choices" needed. Otherwise, Kerry said, the US was prepared to walk away from the table after almost two years of negotiations.

Speaking on Sunday evening, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier struck a similar tone.

"We have a unique chance," Steinmeier said, adding that reaching a deal would send a hopeful signal to the conflict-ridden Middle East. "This calls for courage and readiness for compromise, and I hope mainly that Tehran will show this courage."

The agreement is aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program to ensure that it is not able to acquire an atomic weapon. For years, Iran has insisted that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, but Western nations are not so sure.

The IAEA is conducting a probe into whether Iran sought to develop nuclear weapons in the past, particularly prior to 2003. Following talks with officials in Iran last week, the head of the agency, Yukiya Amano, said he believed the probe could be completed by the end of the year.

The main bones of contention appear to be the level of access Tehran is prepared to grant inspectors from the UN's nuclear watchdog, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as how swiftly economic sanctions on Iran would be lifted in return.

The two sides missed a self-imposed June 30 deadline for reaching an agreement, but subsequently extended this until July 7.

pfd/jil (AFP, Reuters, dpa)