Iran nuclear negotiations press on, still no agreement

Tehran, March 30 (IANS/EFE) Negotiations between the world powers and Tehran regarding Iran's nuclear programme press on "without agreement yet", although delegates were said to be making progress towards resolving many of the outstanding problems, Iranian top negotiator Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday.

Araghchi in comments broadcast on local television detailed that the two issues that remain unresolved are the nuclear activities that will be permissible for Iran under the agreement, and the lifting of sanctions against Iran, which have posed a considerable burden on the country's economy.

The deputy minister conveyed that the Iranian government demands that all sanctions imposed on the country should be eliminated as part of a nuclear agreement, and not as a result of its application.

He added that it was time for the G5+1 to make the right decision and lift all sanctions.

Tuesday will mark the self-imposed deadline set by the negotiators to reach a framework agreement to end the decade-long nuclear standoff with the Islamic Republic.

All foreign ministers of the G5+1 Group, consisting of the five permanent UN Security Council member-states (France, Britain, Russia, the US, China) plus Germany, have been in Lausanne, Switzerland since Sunday to reach a nuclear deal with Iran.

Iranian representatives and the group leaders are scheduled to convene later on Monday in what has become a down to the wire meeting to agree on a more general political framework, while the technical and legal details should be negotiated over the next three months.

--IANS/EFE

vr/dg