archive

Kerry and Zarif shake hands and agree to work on a solution

Catherine Ashton said next round of talks with Iran will be in Geneva on October 15-16

27.09.2013 - Update : 27.09.2013
Kerry and Zarif shake hands and agree to work on a solution

UNITED NATIONS (AA) - Announcing that the meeting with foreign minister of Iran Javad Zarif was open in “good atmosphere” and “energetic”, High Representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security Catherine Ashton said they had substantial discussion of “how to move forward” with the “ambitious time frame.”

The meeting P5+1 with all permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) plus Germany was organized on the margins of the 68th UN General Assembly (NGA) with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Zarif both attending the talks over the future of Iran’s nuclear program.

 

Talks scheduled in Geneva

 World’s top diplomats including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia, Laurent Fabius of France and Guido Westerwelle of Germany gathered in the consultation room of UN Security Council to talk about the future of Iran’s nuclear program.

Coming out of the meeting that lasted for more than an hour Ashton said Iranians have agreed that the next round of their “3 + 3” talks would be held in Geneva on October 15 and 16.

Asked by journalists whether she saw US Secretary of State Kerry shook hands with Iranian Foreign Minister, Ashton responded that she knows Mr. Kerry as being a polite man, "I would be surprised if he did not.”

“The substantial part of the meeting was the opportunity to hear (Iranian) minister and his thinking about how to move forward,” Ashton added.

But she said the “practical details” are left for Geneva talks. “Like (Iranian) minister I am very ambitious on that,” she declared as well.

Asked whether something more tangible in this UN round of talks with the Iranians, and if the presence of US Secretary of State changed the tone of the negotiations in a more positive way, Ashton said it was about 'confidence building measures' that were first of all put to the negotiating table.

Ashton said, “The dynamic is set by all six nations” who are participating in talks.

In the whole group of the representatives of other world powers US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif met on Thursday at the United Nations for the talks that could open the way for new chapter between Washington and Tehran after more than four decades relations freeze.

 

Kerry pleased as well

 Addressing very briefly UN reporters after meeting face to face with Iran's foreign minister, Secretary Kerry also said he was pleased with a new positive tone from Tehran. Kerry and Zarif met privately for a short time at UNSC premises after the P5+1 meeting was adjourned.

 “I think all of us are pleased that Foreign Minister Zarif came at presentation to us which was very different in tone and very different in the vision that he held out with respect to the possibilities of the future,” Kerry said.

 He said, at the private meeting, “They took a moment” to talk on how to further prose.

Kerry said they have agreed to continue the process “and find the answers” on the “outstanding questions” that “people have about Iran’s nuclear program.”

But, Kerry also mentioned that one meeting with Foreign Minister Zarif was not enough to resolve all concerns about Iran's nuclear intentions. US Secretary of State said, “There is a lot work to be done” and that the US “will engage in that work obviously.”

He added Iran has to demonstrate its willingness to come clean about its nuclear program with actions.

 

Iranians want sanctions to be lifted

 Talking also after the meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif expressed his satisfaction “with this first step”. He said, “Now we have to see if we can match these positive words with serious deeds. 

He went to stress that the final aim of Tehran is sanctions removal.

“Sanctions are contra-productive and in addition not founded in international law,” Zarif said. “And at the end there has to be total lifting of the sanctions.”

 

Agreement reached on the Syrian resolution

 In a somehow expected move Kerry also announced Thursday night that agreement was reached on the draft resolution addressing Syrian chemical weapons.

“I was pleased to have a meeting with (Russian) Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and we did reach the agreement with the respect to the resolution. Now we are doing the final work of putting that language together,” Kerry said to the press.

He added the UN can now proceed toward the removal and destroying of the chemical weapons in Syria.

 

Not exactly on time

 The meeting at the UNSC was delayed since Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was late almost 30 minutes after 4 pm when the meeting was scheduled to start by UN protocol. But, others came late as well. US Secretary Kerry was seen being late almost 20 minutes while Russian minister Lavrov appeared more than 15 after 4 pm.

Reporting by Erol Avdovic

 

englishnews@aa.com.tr

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.
Related topics
Bu haberi paylaşın