Iran and 1+5 Meet in Geneva; Working on 'Principles of Agreement'

On Sunday, January 28, Iranian Deputy Foreign Ministers met with their counterparts from the 1+5 group in Geneva, Switzerland. Helga Schmid, Deputy Secretary-General for the EU's foreign policy, was also present at the meeting. The Iranian delegation was led by Abbas Araqchi, Deputy Foreign Minister. Before the meeting, Wang Qun, China's chief negotiator, told a reporter from Radio Farda that 'achieving consensus is the most important priority in these negotiations, and at this stage, reaching a common text is not the top priority for Beijing.' Sources close to the negotiations have indicated that Iran, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, and Germany need to meet again to summarize discussions. Earlier reports suggested that Iran and the six world powers were seeking to reach a common text to outline the principles of a political agreement in this round of negotiations. Hannah Kavyani, a Radio Farda reporter in Geneva, quoted analysts present at the site, stating that the principles of agreement being discussed represent a stage prior to a political agreement that Iran and the 1+5 have set a deadline to achieve by March. In the Joint Action Document, a three-page text published in November 2013, a section is dedicated to the final actions of both parties. The 'principles of agreement' that this round of negotiations in Geneva focused on are essentially an expansion of the items defined as final actions in the Joint Action Document. Meanwhile, Iranian and American negotiators are working on a draft document to expedite the negotiations. Al Monitor reported that this document is called 'principles of agreement' and is part of a framework agreement that the parties are expected to reach by March. Before this round of talks, the foreign ministers of Iran and the U.S. also visited Geneva and held intense negotiations. Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, stated before leaving Switzerland that 'the pressure method does not work, and negotiation and pressure cannot coexist,' adding that 'the path of pressure must be abandoned as it is ineffective.' In the U.S., President Barack Obama emphasized that 'no one wants a document that undermines our sanctions and allows Iran to secretly or gradually increase its nuclear weapons capability.' Mr. Obama, in a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron, stated that the U.S. would not allow such a thing: 'Whatever we do, and any agreement we reach - if we reach an agreement - will be thoroughly reviewed, not just by members of Congress, but more importantly, by those who understand how the technical aspects of the nuclear program can progress.' Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress is calling for increased pressure on Iran.