Iran hails nuclear talks in Europe 'constructive'

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said the ministerial meeting of the remaining parties to the international 2015 nuclear deal was "constructive".

"I believe that there is a political will to continue work and save this agreement but we must see what will happen to this issue in practice," he was quoted as saying by Press TV on Friday.

On Friday, a ministerial meeting on the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was held in Vienna, capital of Austria, Xinhua news agency reported.

The meeting was chaired by EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and attended at the ministerial level by China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran.

Zarif said Iran received an economic package from the European countries two days ago but Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said it is not enough.

On Thursday, Rouhani said the proposal package offered by the EU does not secure Iran's interests in the 2015 deal.

"Unfortunately, in the proposed package, there is no practical measure and specific strategy for cooperation," Rouhani said in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to IRNA news agency.

The package encompasses "a number of generalities about EU commitments which have also been issued before," he said.

"We expected a vivid plan from the three European countries" of Germany, France and Britain, two months after the US pullout of the JCPOA, the Iranian president noted.

Merkel confirmed that the EU package contains some principles and generalities, stressing that the talks should continue over the details.

"We all know that we want to stay in the nuclear deal, and we believe that we should keep talks in a quite atmosphere," she said.

In another telephone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, Rouhani also underlined the need to meet the demands of the Islamic republic by the parties to JCOPA.

The Iranian President highlighted the problems that Washington's unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA has created for the European companies involved in Iranian projects.

"We expect Europe to offer a clear operational programme with a specific timeframe in order to be able to compensate for the US pullout from the Iran nuclear deal," Rouhani said.

Rouhani has urged the European signatories to the JCPOA to take "practical and tangible measures" to protect Iranian interests after the US pullout.

On Friday, Zarif told reporters in Vienna that Europe must translate its commitment into action before the re-imposition of the US sanctions on Tehran.

--IANS

pgh/