Oman hopes tripartite talks will reach nuclear deal

MUSCAT, Nov 9 (KUNA) - Omani Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yusuf Bin-Alawi Bin Abdallah voiced hope on Sunday that the ongoing talks between Iran, on one hand, and the United States and the European Union, on the other, will reach a final agreement on Iran's nuclear program.
"The three parties agreed that such an agreement will be beneficial to all of them," the minister told reporters on the sidelines of the talks being hosted by Oman for the first time.
"The Sultanate of Oman offers every facility for the negotiators to reach the desired target," Bin Abdallah affirmed.
He noted that Oman played a constructive role in the resumption of the talks between Iran and the P5+1 (Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany), earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the talks focus on how to end the sanctions imposed by the western countries on Iran and to ensure the resumption of uranium enrichment in Iran.
The western countries had not admitted that sanctions are part of the problem rather than of the solution which "had not contributed to solve the problem," Mehr News Agency quoted him as saying.
"A second issue is amount of uranium enrichment. The Islamic Republic of Iran has always had a peaceful nuclear program and in line with the religious decree issued by the Leader banning use and stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction, WMD has no place in our defense doctrine," Zarif emphasized.
"Nevertheless a solution is still possible to achieve in nuclear issue if western countries are reassured that our nuclear program is peaceful," he added.
On a similar note, head of the Iranian Majlis Commission for National Security and Foreign Policy Alaeddin Boroujerdi said "it's not unlikely that Muscat talks could hammer out a deal." "Yet, we cannot say that all issues will be ironed out in Muscat," he said, affirmed that Iran's stance has always been clear and "there could be no backpedalling on our previously-stated positions." The two-day talks, which opened here earlier today, gathered Zarif, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Catherine Ashton - the coordinator of the P5+1 and former EU foreign policy chief. (pickup previous) ahr.mw.gb