Iran says nuclear talks "very successful" in clarifying issues

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif said nuclear talks with six world powers this week were "very successful" in terms of clarifying the issues involved, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported on Thursday.
   
"In terms of understanding and clarification, Vienna-2 was among our very successful round of talks ... extremely beneficial and constructive," the news agency quoted him as saying. He added that until he had examined the minutes of the discussions it was not possible to say exactly how far the opinions of the two sides differed.
 

International positions:

President Barack Obama sent a video message to Iranians to say there is a chance to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran if Tehran takes verifiable steps to assure the West its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
   
"I'm under no illusions. This will be difficult," Obama said in a message to mark the Iranian holiday Nowruz. "But I'm committed to diplomacy because I believe there is the basis for a practical solution."

This as Interfax news agency quoted the Russian negotiator as saying after the latest round of talks this week that the positions of Iran and six global powers seeking to rein in its nuclear program are "far apart" on the issue of uranium enrichment.
   
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Iran and the powers agree that a solution should be based on an interim agreement reached in November but that Iran had "very far-reaching demands" on enrichment, Interfax reported.

Meanwhile, a senior EU official said in an email seen by Reuters on Thursday that positions between Iran and major powers differ widely on some areas but Iranian negotiators seem very committed to reach an agreement on the country's nuclear program.    

The brief email from European Union official Helga Schmid to senior officials of EU member states was written after a March 18-19 meeting between Iran and the powers - the United States, France, Germany, China, Russia and Britain - in Vienna.    

Schmid is the deputy of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who is coordinating talks with Iran on behalf of the six nations.



REUTERS