Secrecy on nuclear proposal is sign of seriousness: Iranian FM

TEHRAN,Oct.20(MNA) - The Iranian negotiating team’s refusal to unveil details of the nuclear proposal it presented during the Geneva talks is a sign of its sincerity and seriousness, Iranian Foreign Minister and chief nuclear negotiator Mohammad Javad Zarif said in an interview with Al-Monitor published on Friday. Following the conclusion of the first nuclear talks between Iran and world powers since the election of President Hassan Rouhani, buzz over the exact details of what transpired in Geneva is aplenty. The exact contents of the Iranian proposal, formulated in a Powerpoint presentation titled, “Closing an Unnecessary Crisis, and Opening a New Horizon,” are unclear. However, reports have surfaced with purported details of the Iranian position. Amid the reports, officials in Tehran involved in the nuclear negotiations remain adamant in their insistence that their proposal will remain under wraps pending an agreement. In an interview with Al-Monitor, Zarif, referring to the reports about alleged details of the Iranian proposal, categorically denied their authenticity. “These are speculations that have little in common with reality,” he said, maintaining his posture that “our refusal to unveil details of the proposal is a sign of our sincerity and seriousness.” Asked about the anonymity of the source who claimed to have knowledge about the details of the Iranian proposal, Zarif said, “None of the officials involved in the nuclear negotiations speak off the record. We only speak on the record.” Deputy Iranian Foreign Minister Majid Ravanchi, who participated in the nuclear talks, including the bilateral meeting with the American delegation — echoed Zarif’s remarks. In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ravanchi said, “What is in the media is pure speculation and detached from reality. We have said it in the past, and say it again: Our insistence on keeping our position secret is a sign of our seriousness.” Hours after his interview with Al-Monitor, Zarif wrote in a post in Persian on his Facebook page, “Reliable sources for media have not seen the package themselves, and it’s best if they don’t tarnish their credibility with claims of knowledge of details of the proposal. … Keeping the (details) of the talks secret does not mean that we are afraid of revealing their contents. You can be sure of that we have no worries about making public what transpired in the negotiations. However, the goal of these negotiations (in our view) is to reach an understanding and not transient (media) victories.”