Iran nuclear talks may prove a turning point

World powers at Almaty offered a new package to Iran to break the nuclear deadlock.Both sides agreed to meet again in march for further negotiations and the success of the talks depends upon Iran’s response to the proposal.



The P5+1 nations that have been holding talks with Iran stepped back from a key demand that the country export its entire stockpile of  20% enriched Uranium  -an enrichment level close to weapons grade.Instead, these countries now offered to let Iran keep enough 20% enriched uranium in the country to fuel a research reactor, US said.

Negotiators also asked Iran to stop enrichment  activity at Fordo nuclear facility near Qom instead of shutting down the nuclear facility.

In exchange for a aforesaid demands negotiators offered some easing of the tough sanctions that have cut Iran off from the global financial system.

The negotiations between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany ended on Wednesday with optimism from both sides.

"The just concluded P5 plus 1 (representing five permanent members of the UN Security Council US, Britain, Russia, China and France plus Germany) talks with Iran were useful," State Department spokesperson Patrick Ventrell said .


"But, now it is up to Tehran to respond to the concrete confidence building measures proposed by them," the spokesperson added.

There was agreement at the end of the meeting on the Iranian part to meet next at the experts level on March 18 in Istanbul and to have a follow-on political directors meeting with Iran back in Almaty (Kazakhstan) from April 5th to 6th,he said.
  
"We have a proposal, a serious updated proposal, on the table. But it would require them to also take some of their reciprocal steps to build confidence that they are taking, in a systematic way, the steps that are necessary to come in line with their international obligations," he said.
  
On the issue of Iran's nuclear programme, Ventrell said "I'm not going to list them out one by one. But they know what they need to do to come in compliance with Security Council Resolutions, with their IAEA obligations, and to come clean about their nuclear program."



Incase Iran accepts the new package  it would get some lifting of non-oil and non-financial sanctions.ie lifting of restrictions on trade in gold , precious metals and on petrochemical sector.

Iranian parliament speaker Ali larijani  who visited India said “There is no secret dimension to Iran’s  nuclear programme and it can be resolve through dialogue ie procedural negotiations based on principles of NPT,but world powers were leaving  the negotiating table and using the tactic of more  sanctions and even went ahead by using  the threat of  military strike at the nuclear sites.”


Adding further that “Earlier Iran had practically no defence against military strike during  Iran-Iraq war but now it has developed missiles and has good capacity to resist military attack. “

However, US secretary of State  John Kerry  in his recent statement  has showed Washington’s willingness to have direct diplomatic talks with Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on this issue, who has the final say on all state matters in Iran.



Once the nuclear issue get reconciled  there can be scope for normalization and even  betterment of US-Iran relations.

Barack Obama who in his second term of US presidency has an opportunity to deal with the volatile situation in mid east countries  would be amply asserted by breaking the ice in Iran-US relations.

Larijani said “In politics there is nothing like stalemate or impasse and we should find the ways  this is the point we should pay attention to”.


Larijani also urged India to play a greater role in ending Tehran impasse  with the West on it s Nuclear programme.


On the issue of payment of Iranian crude following sanctions ,Larijani said,” there are people in my delegation  who have been talking to their Indian friends to find mechanism and we have yielded ‘good results’.”