April 2, 2015

Conflicting Messages Coming Out of Iran Nuclear Talks

The Iranian nuclear talks that started in Lausanne in late March have run two days over the planned deadline. International Centre for Defence and Security junior research fellow Helga Kalm was on Vikerraadio’s “Uudis+” studio to comment on the talks.

The Iranian nuclear talks that started in Lausanne in late March have run two days over the planned deadline. International Centre for Defence and Security junior research fellow Helga Kalm was on Vikerraadio’s “Uudis+” studio to comment on the talks.

Kalm said the talks have grown protracted as no real progress has been made. “In principle the parties have been debating the same things that have been discussed the whole time,” said Kalm.
She said it seemed at first that certain points would be agreed upon within the week, but that now the parties have stepped back from those positions. “It was the French representative who said that as long as not everything is agreed, in essence nothing has been agreed,” said Kalm, who said progress at the talks should be measured according to that principle.
So far conflicting bits of information have come in – for instance, at the end of yesterday’s (1 April – Ed.) session, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian colleague Zarif were both optimistic that the talks would bear results. The US negotiators said progress had been limited. “It shows that people are growing more sceptical and there is more discussion in America whether US envoys should threaten breaking off the talks more,” said Kalm.
Kalm said it was hard to evaluate what was going on behind the closed doors. “Iran is trying to leave the impression that they have made concessions and that now it’s America’s turn,” she said. But nothing has in effect been agreed yet and the details being discussed are still open today. “The game of catch is continuing and actually no one has made any major concessions,” said Kalm.
Read more: ERR (in Estonian)

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