Araqchi: No Pretext For Rejecting Iran’s Proposed Package

Tehran, Oct 14, IRNA – Deputy Foreign Minister and nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi said here Sunday night if G5+1 side would have good will, nuclear file would be closed in less than 6 months; Iran’s proposed package is designed in a way to leave room for no pretexts. Member of the Iranian team of nuclear negotiators with the six world powers made the comments in an interview with the Iranian television network’s Channel 2. He referred to the decision made in New York to pursue the talks in international cities, adding, “The new (Iranian negotiating team relies on the experience of the previous teams and the ups and downs of the former negotiations, and design the approach for a new framework based on the foundation that was laid in New York by the Iranian foreign minister and explained for the Group 5+1 foreign ministers and welcomed by them.” He added, “These negotiations have two phases. In the first phase we need to reach compromise over the objectives and the future perspective; we wish to say that we would not be taking steps in the darkness. The objective must be playing a win-win game and to make sure that both sides would emerge as winners.” Araqchi reiterated, “If the other side is supposed to be the winner, we would not be going to give any concessions. The objectives must be defined and the two sides must be regarded as equals. It is possible to emerge winners of the negotiations without having to give concessions.” Araqchi, also the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs said, “They claim their only objective is to make sure that the Iranian nuclear program would not deviate towards military objectives; that the Iranian nuclear program is not aimed at making weapons, and then their objective would be achieved. We, too, would be winners when we would have a peaceful nuclear program and our right for enrichment, too, would be recognized.” He added, “This approach defines the objective so that both sides would emerge as winners and what we need to do then would be defining this perspective and telling where the light is and in which path we need to take steps.” Araqchi said, “The second phase would be how to move towards that objective and that is the step-by-step approach which was talked about earlier, as well and this time, the steps would lead us towards the objective. The steps would be balanced and realistic and both sides would be capable of taking them.” He said, “The first step and the last one are important and the other steps are easy to take, because if the steps would be taken properly and the atmosphere of encountering would be turned into an atmosphere of interacting, the framework for the negotiations, too, need to be appropriate for that objective.” This member of the Iranian team of nuclear negotiators with the G5+1 (also known as the P5+1) reiterated, “When we reach the last step it must be clarified that the Iranian program and the status of the sanctions would be in what way and at any case, how would they look and where would they lead us to. Of course at that stage the Iranian nuclear file must get out of the UN Security Council and returned to the IAEA.” Araqchi said that the difference between the current scheme and the previous one is right here, adding, “but we have also used the experience of the past and prepared a plan for the negotiations which would start by the foreign minister on Tuesday.” Araqchi said, “The package they presented at Almaty I is still on the table from the westerners’ point of the view, but we believe that proposal is outdated, because there have been fundamental changes, which is why we are presenting our plan, which is designed realistically.” Man number 2 of the Iranian negotiating team after Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, “We have considered two time periods, that for the negotiations and reaching agreements there is a matter of six months, when we would be able to sum up, and in the next phase we would be able to take the final step maximum at the end of a year, when the nuclear file should be closed.” He added, “If they would have the will, the negotiations would bear results sooner and our program is such that they would not have any pretexts for rejecting it, and in fact the Iranian proposal is a test for the (frankness of) the other side.”/end