MOSCOW, RUSSIA —
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the chances are high for the deal on the Iranian nuclear program, with major points already agreed and needed only to be put into a document.
Lavrov made the comments in a television interview recorded earlier in the week and aired in Postscriptum program on Russian TVC channel on Saturday (November 16).
Regarding the recent talks in Geneva between Iran and P5+1 (five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany), Lavrov said he was optimistic about the outcome.
“Our common impression is that there is a very good chance now which should not be missed," Lavrov said. "The talks with the Iranian Foreign Minister only confirmed that for the first time in many years both the six world powers and Tehran are ready not only to present their own positions which do not overlap in the majority of cases, but rather find opportunities for a compromise.”
“There are no any major disagreements now over issues that require practical solutions. It is all now about putting this understanding which we achieved on paper in a correct way in a diplomatic language, so we have a really joint document which has not been forced on somebody from outside,” Lavrov added.
The six world powers are searching for an agreement to ease international fears that Iran is seeking the capability to make nuclear weapons and, in exchange, offer the Middle East nation limited relief from sanctions that are hurting its economy.
The fact that a deal may finally be feasible after a decade of rhetorical feuding rather than genuine negotiations between Iran and the West highlighted a striking shift in the tone of Tehran's foreign policy since the election in June of Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatic former nuclear negotiator, as president.
Lavrov made the comments in a television interview recorded earlier in the week and aired in Postscriptum program on Russian TVC channel on Saturday (November 16).
Regarding the recent talks in Geneva between Iran and P5+1 (five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany), Lavrov said he was optimistic about the outcome.
“Our common impression is that there is a very good chance now which should not be missed," Lavrov said. "The talks with the Iranian Foreign Minister only confirmed that for the first time in many years both the six world powers and Tehran are ready not only to present their own positions which do not overlap in the majority of cases, but rather find opportunities for a compromise.”
“There are no any major disagreements now over issues that require practical solutions. It is all now about putting this understanding which we achieved on paper in a correct way in a diplomatic language, so we have a really joint document which has not been forced on somebody from outside,” Lavrov added.
The six world powers are searching for an agreement to ease international fears that Iran is seeking the capability to make nuclear weapons and, in exchange, offer the Middle East nation limited relief from sanctions that are hurting its economy.
The fact that a deal may finally be feasible after a decade of rhetorical feuding rather than genuine negotiations between Iran and the West highlighted a striking shift in the tone of Tehran's foreign policy since the election in June of Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatic former nuclear negotiator, as president.
