World powers ’united’, Kerry says ahead of new Iran nuclear talks

AFP – 21 February 2015 – The world powers negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program stand united, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday, a day before resuming talks with his Iranian counterpart.
“There is absolutely no divergence whatsoever in what we believe is necessary for Iran to prove that its nuclear program is going to be peaceful,” Kerry said in London before heading to Geneva Sunday for talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
“The P5+1 remains united on the subject of Iran,” he added.
Iran and the P5+1 group of Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany are trying to strike a deal that would prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb in return for an easing of punishing economic sanctions. Iran denies its nuclear program has military objectives.
Zarif and Kerry, who have met repeatedly on the issue in recent weeks, will hold two days of discussions in Geneva starting Sunday.
The meeting comes amid a heightened sense of urgency in the negotiations as the clock ticks down to a March 31 deadline for agreement on the political framework of a comprehensive deal.
US and Iranian negotiators have been meeting in Geneva since Friday, and senior P5+1 negotiators were also set to meet in the Swiss city Sunday in a bid to drive the talks forward, the European Union said.
As a sign the efforts were stepping up a notch, US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz flew in to snow-covered Geneva Saturday to take part in the talks for the first time, and at Kerry’s request, the energy department said.
Ali Akbar Salehi, the director of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, was also taking part in the negotiations.
A senior US State Department official warned, however, that Moniz and Salehi’s participation did not necessarily indicate the talks were on the verge of a breakthrough, but said it indicated “the seriousness with which they are taking the technical aspects.”
The two officials were reportedly meeting Saturday afternoon to discuss the technical aspects of the agreement under discussion.