Four world powers are dispatching their top diplomats to Geneva today to add their weight to negotiations aimed at putting initial limits on Iran's ability to make atomic weapons.
French, British and German foreign ministers are joining US Secretary of State John Kerry in Geneva, who will be coming "to help narrow differences in negotiations," according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to release the information.
Negotiators were keeping details of their talks confidential. But Kerry, in comments to Israeli television, suggested Washington was looking for an Iranian commitment to stop any expansion of nuclear activities that could be used to make weapons as a first step.
Tehran would be looking for significant relief from sanctions stifling its economy for such a concession.
"We are asking them to step up and provide a complete freeze over where they are today," Kerry said yesterday.
Their decision to fly to Geneva comes after signs that global powers and Iran were close to a first-stage deal that would cap some of Iran's suspected nuclear programmes in exchange for limited relief from economic sanctions.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov did not plan to attend. There was no word from Beijing on any plans by the Chinese foreign minister to join his colleagues.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, the first to arrive, spoke of progress, but told reporters "nothing is hard and fast yet."
"I've come to Geneva to take part in the negotiations because the talks are difficult but important for regional and international security," he said. "We are working to reach an accord which completes the first step to respond to Iran's nuclear programme."
There has been no confirmation that an accord is within reach or details of possible elements of such a pact. But Israel is strongly critical of any deal that stops short of totally disabling Iran from making nuclear arms, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he "utterly rejects" the "bad deal" he said was in the making.
He spoke before meeting with Kerry in Jerusalem today. "I understand the Iranians are walking around very satisfied in Geneva as well they should because they got everything and paid nothing," Netanyahu told reporters.
"They wanted relief of sanctions after years of gruelling sanctions, they got that. They paid nothing because they are not reducing in any way their nuclear enrichment capability. So Iran got the deal of the century and the international community got a bad deal," Netanyahu said.
