BICOM

Representatives of the P5+1 powers (US, UK, China, Russia, France and Germany) and Iranian officials failed to conclude a staged agreement over the weekend, following reported objections by France.

Talks in Geneva ended without agreement, although the two sides agreed to meet again on 20 November. Details of the draft six-month arrangement, intended as a prelude to a more comprehensive agreement, were not made public, but French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters in Geneva that he would not agree to a “suckers deal.” It has been widely reported that France tabled two major objections to the deal. Firstly, French officials insisted on the six-month closure of the Arak plutonium reactor and that the production of twenty per cent enriched uranium must not only be halted, but also shipped out of Iran.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif said via social media that “There was a possibility to reach an agreement… one of the delegations had some problems.” Iran’s media has sharply criticised France and former Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said that “the French foreign minister acted as if he was the advocate” of Israel. Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his opposition to the proposed deal yesterday, emphasising to CBS that “There are many, many Arab leaders in the region who are saying, this is a very bad deal for the region and for the world.”

Foreign Secretary William Hague told the BBC there are “still some gaps” between the P5+1 and Iran, but that “there is a good chance” of a deal being concluded within the coming few weeks. He added, “A deal is on the table and it can be done. But it is a formidably difficult negotiation; I can’t say exactly when it will conclude.”