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Rouhani Optimistic About P5+1 Final Deal by July Deadline
23 May 2014
(LPAC)—Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says that talks with the P5+1 can still be completed by the July 20 deadline, but talks have reached ``a very important, sensitive and tough juncture.’’ Rouhani was in Shanghai where he attended the regional security conference and held one-on-one meeting with President Xi Jinping. ``We are not pessimistic about a final agreement,’’ Rouhani told reporters in Shanghai. Rouhani also said that the interim agreement reached last November could be extended by another six months if more time is needed to reach a final arrangement. ``The signs, the indications that we have been receiving in the past few days, are telling us that it is very likely that we can come to an agreement by the end of July.’’ He warned against countries in the P5+1 wanting to ``sabotage’’ the deal. ``If we don’t achieve success it means that the other side is very stubborn because my government is ready to be logical, is ready to interact with the rest of the world and cooperate with the rest of the world. My policy is based on cooperation, not confrontation.’’ Tehran Times separately reported that on Tuesday, May 20, there were meetings in Tehran between IAEA representatives and the Iranians. After the meetings a joint statement was issued, indicating that Iran has agreed to supply supplemental information and documentation of pre-2003 work on dual use technologies that could be used for nuclear triggers. The issue of the previous alleged work on weaponization has been a point of contention for years between the IAEA and Iran. [Jeffrey Steinberg] |