• Home

German Foreign Minister says Iran N- talks ‘encouraging’

Three days of such meetings two weeks ago made no “tangible progress,”, with a July 20 deadline for a conclusive agreement looming on the horizon and major issues still outstanding.

General Shaikh Mohammed holding talks with Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. — Wam

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Saturday that ongoing negotiations between world powers and Iran over its disputed nuclear programme have been “encouraging”. His remarks herein Abu Dhabi come ahead of a new round of talks in mid-June between Iran and the P5+1 powers of Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany.

“Regardless of the general situation which makes cooperation between the US and Russia difficult in some areas at the moment, the negotiations on the Iranian issue have certainly gone further,” he said.

“In recent weeks and months they were so encouraging that we maintained a chance of reaching an agreement,” he added, after talks with Gen. Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The next round of talks on resolving Western concerns will take place in Vienna on June 16-20.

Three days of such meetings two weeks ago made no “tangible progress,”, with a July 20 deadline for a conclusive agreement looming on the horizon and major issues still outstanding. “Whether these negotiations can be completed within the agreed time frame cannot be said at the present time,” said Steinmeier.

“Anyway, there is no sign that anyone wants to go beyond that time frame.”

• UAE