Three-day Iran nuclear talks open in Vienna amid hope and despair

Zee Media Bureau/Supriya Jha Tehran: In a step that is being taken in the direction to douse the Western suspicions over Iran`s nuclear programme, the Islamic Republic is holding talks with the six world powers to negotiate over a comprehensive deal that would ensure that Tehran`s nuke activities remain `peaceful`. The talks that would span over three days, opened in Vienna today between Iran and the P5+1 group of nations -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany.  The talks follow almost three months after a deal was struc in November last year after years of failed talks. The deal stipulated that Iran must stop enriching Uranium beyond 5%, besides giving inspectors access to its nuclear facilities, in return Tehran will be awarded with sanctions relief worth $7bn.  It was decied that the deal will have to be abided by till six months, during which Iran and the sextet will try to reach a permanent deal.  However even before the talks resumed on Tuesday, the country`s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sounded death knell for the initiative saying it would “lead nowhere”.

In a televise”d speech on Monday, Khamenei said, "Iran will not violate what it has promised but Americans are hostile toward the Islamic revolution and the Islamic Republic." "Right now I say they will have no benefit and will lead nowhere. But of course officials should apply their efforts," he added. However, the country`s foreign minister sounded upbeat saying that he was hopeful of reaching an agreement, even if it would take time. "Our aim is to provide the guarantee in the negotiations that Iran`s nuclear programme will remain peaceful," Zarif said after meeting EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Vienna.   Zarif added that Iran had come to Vienna with the political will to reach an agreement and that if all nations had the political will, the positive results could be reached, local state news agency quoted him as saying. Iran`s nuke programme has always been looked upon with suspicion from Western countries who doubt that Iran is pursuing nuke weapons` ambitions. However Tehran has been denying the same, saying that its nuke overtures are only for peaceful processes.