Iran leader says all nuclear issues can be resolved in talks

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said today differences remain but that all issues can be resolved in talks with the West to secure a long-sought deal on his country's disputed nuclear programme.

"I believe an agreement is possible. There is nothing that cannot be resolved and the other party must make its final decision for this," the official IRNA news agency quoted the Iranian leader as saying.

Rouhani's comments came a day after the latest round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany - ended without a breakthrough.

The marathon talks are aimed at putting an Iranian nuclear bomb out of reach in exchange for easing sanctions on its economy."In this round of negotiations (in Lausanne, Switzerland) there were differences on some issues," Rouhani said, noting that "common views emerged that can be the basis of a final agreement."

However he added: "Some points of disagreement persist."The negotiations are to resume on Wednesday, leaving the two sides with just one week to meet a March 31 deadline for agreeing the outlines of a nuclear deal they hope will end a 12-year deadlock.

US Secretary of State John Kerry was to leave Switzerland today for talks in London with his British, French and German counterparts, the State Department said.
Yesterday Kerry spoke by telephone with the foreign ministers of Russia and China, the other two powers involved in talks that officially resumed after the 2013 election of Rouhani.

A day earlier US President Barack Obama appealed in a Nowruz (Persian New Year) address to the Iranian people and leaders to seize a "historic" opportunity to begin a "brighter future".

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who had been locked in talks with Kerry in Lausanne, responded by saying it was the other side that had to budge.
"Iranians have already made their choice: engage with dignity. It's high time for the US and its allies to chose: pressure or agreement," Zarif posted in English on his official Twitter account.

The highly complex mooted agreement, due to be finalised by July, is aimed at convincing the world that Iran will not build nuclear weapons under the guise of its civilian programme.

It would likely involve Iran reducing in scope its nuclear activities, allowing ultra-tight inspections, exporting nuclear material and limiting development of new nuclear machinery.

In exchange, Iran - which denies wanting nuclear weapons - would get staggered relief from the mountain of painful sanctions that have strangled its oil exports and hammered its economy.