Germany urges Iran, international partners to grab deal

Foreign minister says countries should ‘seize this opportunity’; EU foreign policy chief says it’s a ‘crucial time’

By LORNE COOK 16 March 2015, 8:20 pm

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Sweden's Foreign Minister Margot Wallström (left), speaks with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (right), during a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Monday, March 16, 2015. (photo credit: AP/Virginia Mayo)

BRUSSELS (AP) — Germany on Monday urged its international partners and Iran “to seize this opportunity” to negotiate an end to the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program before a deadline at the end of the month.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who is negotiating with Iran on behalf of the world’s five nuclear powers and Germany, said that “we are entering a crucial time, a crucial two weeks.”

Iran says its nuclear program is aimed at generating electricity and at medical research, but many in the West fear the Islamic Republic is trying to covertly build atomic weapons.

A deal that has taken shape over the past 15 months could see Iran freeze its nuclear program for at least a decade in exchange for the gradual lifting of international sanctions.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that after “more than 10 years of negotiations, we should seize this opportunity.” He will join the foreign ministers of France and Britain and Mogherini for talks in Brussels on Monday evening with their Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif.

“There are areas where we’ve made progress, areas where we have yet to make any progress,” British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said. “But the fact that we’re all here talking shows the commitment on both sides to try to reach an agreement.”

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the Europeans “would like to reach an agreement, but only if that agreement is solid.”

The world powers and Iran have set an end-of-March deadline to reach a framework accord on the way ahead. Some officials have said persistent differences mean negotiators could settle for an announcement that they’ve made enough progress to justify further talks.

Mogherini said that the five representatives would “tackle all the issues that are on the table,” during their talks in Brussels.

“There are still some gaps that need to be tackled. We hope that tonight our European side contribution can help in narrowing some of these gaps,” she said.

Zarif will also hold several days of discussions with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Switzerland this week, as momentum builds in the nuclear negotiations.