N-agreement good deal for all sides: EU foreign policy chief

Vienna, July 14 (IANS/EFE) European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini called Tuesday a "historic day" after Iran reached an agreement with the six world powers on the controversial nuclear programme.

"It is a great honour for us to announce that we have reached an agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue," Mogherini said in a joint statement with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

The EU representative also highlighted that "with courage, political will, mutual respect and leadership, we delivered on what the world was hoping for: a shared commitment to peace and to join hands in order to make our world safer".

According to Mogherini, the agreement in Vienna restrains Iran's nuclear programme, and will produce the comprehensive lifting of all UN Security Council sanctions as well as multilateral and national sanctions related to Iran's nuclear programme, including steps on access in areas of trade, technology, finance, and energy.

The P5+1 (the US, France, China, Britain, Russia plus Germany) and Iran "welcome this historic Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which will ensure that Iran's nuclear programme will be exclusively peaceful", Mogherini said.

"But what we are announcing today is not only a deal but a good deal. And a good deal for all sides - and the wider international community," the EU foreign policy chief added in clear reference to criticism by Israel and several Gulf countries.

Mogherini underlined that full implementation of the JCPOA will positively contribute to regional and international "peace and security".

"We have always been aware we had a responsibility to our generation and the future ones," Mogherini added.

--IANS/EFE

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