EU's Mora sees new 'sense of purpose' as talks resume

Negotiations between Iran and P4+1 aimed at the removal of the sanctions imposed by the US on Iran after its withdrawal from the accord and reviving the embattled international document resumed in Vienna on Thursday.

EU deputy foreign policy chief Enrique Mora, who chaired Thursday’s meeting of all the deal’s remaining signatories — Iran, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China — said afterward that he felt “a renewed sense of purpose on the need to work and to reach an agreement on bringing the (agreement) back to life.”

“Whether that will be confirmed and endorsed by negotiations on the details, we will see in the coming days,” Mora said, adding that the positive impression “has to be tested.“

He said that it is becoming “more imperative” with time to reach an agreement quickly, Washington Post reported. 

Mora said participants are approaching the task “with the realism necessary to get an agreement, because it’s difficult because there are different positions because some points are still extremely open.” 

“We have to close them, and we don’t have all the time of the world,” he said.

The meeting of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA was held on Thursday with the presence of representatives of the P4+1, the European Union and Iran, and it was decided to continue discussions on the texts proposed by Iran at various levels.

Head of the Iranian team in Vienna talks Ali Bagheri Kani told the reporters at the end of the Thursday meeting of the commission that there is no obstacle to reaching an agreement if the necessary grounds are provided at the Vienna talks.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran stressed at the meeting that it will continue the path of dialogue based on its own positions and views, which it has already stated, and has a serious will to enter into serious negotiations," he added. "Iran will not see any obstacle to reaching an agreement if the necessary grounds are provided."

Russia’s delegate to the talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, described Thursday’s talks as “constructive” and tweeted that there were “important commonalities,” including a need to conclude the talks quickly and successfully.

The United States has participated indirectly in the ongoing talks because it withdrew from the accord in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump. 

ZZ/PR