- Title: IRAN-NUCLEAR/LAVROV Russian FM discusses IS on sidelines of Iran talks
- Date: 30th June 2015
- Summary: VIENNA, AUSTRIA (JUNE 30, 2015) (AGENCY POOL) LAVROV AND STEINMEIER WALKING ON TERRACE LAVROV AND STEINMEIER SHAKING HANDS AND POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS / WALKING AWAY
- Embargoed: 15th July 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Austria
- Country: Austria
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA32EOGZSXQAUFJP6SQOVMXBZIZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The drive to combat Islamic State was discussed by Russia's Foreign Minister and the U.S. Secretary of State on Tuesday (June 30) on the sidelines of the Iran nuclear talks in Vienna.
"Today we exchanged specific opinions and ideas on how to try to make the situation more manageable and under control and how to consolidate all those who consider Islamic State an absolute evil and are really interested in removing this terrorism from a key region of the world (referring to the Mideast)," the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, told reporters.
Negotiations on the Iran nuclear deal resumed on Tuesday, with the sides giving themselves an extra week to reach a final nuclear accord after it became clear they would miss their original June 30 deadline.
Iran and the six powers, which include Russia, have now agreed to extend an interim accord until July 7, in order to have more time to negotiate a comprehensive agreement.
"Of course, with John Kerry we were also talking about Iran nuclear program issues and the talks that are going on here in Vienna, although it was not the main subject of our meeting. The situation is the talks are in progress and moving in the right direction. Some questions remain and they are mainly not technical, but I would say the remaining ones are procedural and are connected with documentation of the agreement and its representation at the UN Security Council," said Lavrov.
For more than a week, the powers have been working into the night with Iran trying to break an impasse in talks that they feel have never been closer to concluding positively.
Diplomats have said the real deadline is not June 30 but July 9, the latest the deal can be presented to the U.S. Congress if a mandatory review period before President Barack Obama can begin suspending sanctions is to be limited to 30 days. After that, the review will last 60 days, with growing risks that the deal could unravel.
The main differences are on the pace and timing of sanctions relief for Iran and on the nature of monitoring mechanisms to ensure it complies with the deal.
Diplomats said the Vienna talks would run on for as long as necessary to reach a comprehensive deal intended to promise an end to sanctions in exchange for at least a decade of limits on Iran's most sensitive nuclear activities. - Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
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