No deal yet on time of Iran sanctions lifting: France FM

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (C) arrives on March 28, 2015 for nuclear talks with Iran in Lausanne, Switzerland. © AFP

France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says it is still unclear when sanctions against Iran will be removed as part of a final comprehensive nuclear agreement between Tehran and the P5+1 group.

Iran calls for the immediate lifting of the sanctions against the country, Fabius told Europe 1 radio station on Friday, a day after Iran and the P5+1 reached a mutual understanding on Tehran’s nuclear program in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“We say to them (Iranians): we will ease the sanctions as you respect what you have agreed to and if you don’t live up to your commitments, of course we can return to the situation we had before,” he said.

“On this point, there is not yet a deal,” Fabius added.

The French minister, whose country presents itself as one of the most hawkish world powers negotiating with Iran, said, “We are going in the right direction ... but we are not yet at the end of the road.”

At the end of eight days of sensitive nuclear negotiations in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Thursday, Iran and the P5+1 states – the US, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany – issued a joint statement, saying that no Iranian nuclear facility will be shut down or suspended and all sanctions against the Islamic Republic will be lifted.

(L-R) German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier, EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Russian Deputy Political Director Alexey Karpov, and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond arrive at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne after their nuclear talks on April 2, 2015 in Lausanne, Switzerland. © AFP

According to the joint statement, Iran's Fordow nuclear facility will be turned into a research center for nuclear science and physics. It also said the heavy water reactor in the Iranian city of Arak will remain in place, but will be redesigned and updated.

Under the statement, Iran will also implement the Additional Protocol temporarily and voluntarily in line with its confidence-building measures and after that the protocol will be ratified within a time frame by the Iranian government and Parliament (Majlis).

The French foreign minister’s remark came on the same day that Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran will make good on its commitments as per the recent joint statement in Lausanne provided that the other side complies with its obligations as well.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani addresses the nation on a mutual understanding with the P5+1 group of countries in Tehran on April 3, 2015.

“The world should know that we are not deceptive and are not liars and any promises we give will be within the framework of our national interests and we will live up to our promises provided that the opposite side abides by its promises as well,” Rouhani said in a televised address to the Iranian nation in Tehran on Friday.

The joint statement is a sign that Iran and its negotiating partners have come to a mutual understanding over Iran’s nuclear program and will work to draw up a final agreement by the end of the self-designated June 30 deadline.

SF/NN


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku