Western officials and media outlets have constantly warned about lack of time and minor progress in the Vienna talks, while they have underlined that the negotiations are moving forward.
Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French foreign minister, has been one of the Western officials who says he has been convinced that reaching an agreement would be accessible.
However, paradoxical remarks by the West indicate that the Western sides resort to timeline as a tool for media and psychological warfare. It is obvious that any progress in the negotiations depends on performances of all sides, including the American, European, and Iranian teams although the Americans are not directly participating in the Vienna talks at Palais Coburg.
The Iranian negotiating team has attended several intense meetings at different levels and submitted proposals to save time in the Vienna talks, but the European and American parties called for a halt to return to their capitals for consultations.
The European trio (Britain, France, and Germany) have only commented on Iranian propositions and refused to suggest any constructive proposal to help decrease differences.
Certain Western sides have even called for reviewing accepted issues or proposed new demands, which caused slow pace in the talks. Other intervals such as Westerners’ holidays, change of European negotiators, coronavirus-related restrictions as well as absence of European trio’s top negotiators are among other obstacles in the way of speeding up the negotiations.
It is worth mentioning that the Joint Commission meetings of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) comprise of different aspects relating to four topics such as lifting anti-Iran sanctions, verifying future measures, giving assurances, and returning to nuclear commitments; therefore, several sessions and consultations are needed to pave the way for potential consensus.
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani held talks with the European Union’s representative in the Vienna talks Enrique Mora on Tuesday and then, he met with top nuclear negotiators of the European trio.
The Iranian negotiator continues daily meetings with European counterparts and Mora exchanges views between Iranians and Americans.
The Iranian team seeks a sustainable and verifiable agreement, but it is obvious that reaching a consensus among all sides needs constant and constructive interaction.
1424
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