World powers gather for Iran nuclear talks

World Today

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry walks on the bank of the Geneva Lake before a bilateral meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for a new round of Nuclear Talks, in Montreux, Switzerland, Monday, March 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Keystone,Jean-Christophe Bott)

In Geneva, major world powers and Iran are back at the negotiation table.
Before entering talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif Javed, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the US was not about to jump into something that doesn’t get the job done.

Richard Bestic reports from Geneva.

As the deadline for the Iran talks loom, it was the UN which staged what could be the most successful while at the same time divisive international agreement in decades.

The message the US Secretary of State brought with him was blunt enough. Iran’s talking but needs to do more.

“Any deal must close every potential pathway that Iran has towards fissile material, whether it’s uranium, plutonium, or a covert path, the fact is only a good, comprehensive deal in the end, can actually check off all those boxes,” said John Kerry US Secretary of State.

For Iran, securing a deal will mean the end to sanctions and a major boost to the country’s economy.

Insisting its nuclear program was for peaceful purposes, however, Iran’s foreign minister said agreement could be reached within a week if sanctions were lifted.

“The sooner they remove this liability from the table, the sooner we get to an agreement.”

At the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) in Vienna, the view was that Iran had been slow to answer questions about its nuclear program’s possible military dimensions.

“How long does it take depends very much on the level and pace of the cooperation from Iran,” said Yukiya Amano IAEA Director General

During his time here in Geneva, the US Secretary of State, intrigued observers with a further warning, this time not directed at Iran. It was against selective leaks on the talks – thought in Geneva to be a reference to a speech to be made by Israeli Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu in the US later this week.