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Though key issues remain unresolved, P5+1, Iran close to final deal

28 April 2015 [12:57] - TODAY.AZ

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State has said the P5+1 group countries and Iran are closer than ever to a historic deal to put an end to a 12-year-old standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.

Kerry spoke at the United Nations on the opening day of a month-long conference taking stock of the 1970 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, ahead of a meeting in New York with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, Reuters reported.

"We are, in fact, closer than ever to the good, comprehensive deal that we have been seeking, and if we can get there, the entire world will be safer," Kerry told the conference. He noted that bringing Iran back into compliance with the pact was always at the heart of negotiations with Tehran.

Kerry noted that if finalized and implemented, a final agreement will block Iran's accession to nuclear weapons and reassure the international community that Iran's nuclear program is indeed exclusively peaceful.

He, however, added that "the hard work is far from over and some key issues remain unresolved."

The U.S. and Iranian foreign policy heads have also met on the sidelines of the UN anti-nuclear weapons conference in their first face-to-face encounter since recent marathon talks in Lausanne, Switzerland in early April.

The meeting was "productive," a senior U.S. State Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "They discussed the work that political directors and experts did last week in Vienna and the path forward for the talks," the official added.

Zarif, for his part, said that following the meeting the United States reiterated assurances that Washington will remain committed to any possible deal with Tehran over its nuclear program, Press TV reported.

He noted that during the meeting, the two top diplomats agreed that Iran and the P5+1 countries would continue drafting the details of a final nuclear agreement with seriousness on April 29 and continue the work by next week to finalize the deal.

Zarif said the European Union’s delegation would also arrive in New York on April 29, adding that representatives of Iran, the EU and U.S. would work on the draft of a final nuclear deal and continue doing so over the coming weeks in Europe.

Iran and the P5+1 ended their latest round of talks at the deputy and expert levels in Vienna, Austria, on April 24. The three-day talks were held with the goal of drafting the text of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) based on the mutual understanding reached in Lausanne, Switzerland.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/regions/140231.html

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