France: Key Questions About the Nuclear Agreement with Iran Remain

Laurent Fabius, the French Foreign Minister, expressed hope for a final nuclear agreement with Iran by the deadline of November 24, stating that "key questions" remain that need to be "resolved." According to Reuters, Mr. Fabius said during a joint press conference in Paris with his Italian counterpart on Thursday, November 13, "I hope we can reach an agreement, but there are still key questions that need to be resolved." The French Foreign Minister added, "I cannot predict now. I think it will only be on November 24 that we can assess the situation." These remarks come as Russia stated that what is more important than the "deadline" is a "real agreement." Alexander Lukashevich, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, mentioned on Thursday regarding the Iran and 1+5 talks: "We have emphasized to all parties to strive to meet the deadline. But which is more important? The deadline or a real agreement?" Nevertheless, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that the possibility of reaching a final agreement by November 24 has not been completely ruled out. A day before these statements, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, along with his American counterpart John Kerry, called for a swift agreement between Iran and the negotiating countries in the nuclear talks. Following the last round of negotiations between Iran, the U.S., Russia, China, France, the U.K., and Germany in Muscat, Oman, reports indicate that disagreements among the parties remain. Reuters also reported, citing Iranian and Western official sources, that "it is unlikely that Iran and the 1+5 will reach a final agreement on the Islamic Republic's nuclear file by November 24." The news agency reported on Wednesday, November 12, that Iran and the world powers are likely to reach a new "temporary agreement" based on which both the pressure of sanctions against Tehran will be eased and negotiations for a comprehensive agreement will continue.