EU3, Chinese, Russian Diplomats to Meet in Vienna on JCPOA: Report
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Diplomats from three European countries as well as China and Russia are scheduled to meet in Vienna in the coming week to discuss the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers after Washington refused to remain in the pact, a German newspaper reported on Sunday.
The officials will meet in the Austrian capital under the leadership of senior European Union diplomat Helga Schmid to discuss next steps after the May 8 decision by US President Donald Trump to pull out of the deal, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper said, citing senior EU sources, Reuters reported.
Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China would participate in the meeting, but the United States would not, it said. It was not immediately clear if Iran would take part, the report added.
“Concluding a new agreement that would maintain the nuclear provisions and curb ballistic missile development efforts and Tehran’s activities in the region could help convince Trump to lift sanctions against Iran,” the paper said.
“We have to get away from the name ‘Vienna nuclear agreement’ and add in a few additional elements. Only that will convince President Trump to agree and lift sanctions again,” the paper quoted a senior EU diplomat as saying.
No immediate comment was available from the German foreign ministry.
The EU’s energy chief sought to reassure Iran on Saturday that the 28-member bloc remained committed to salvaging the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and strengthening trade with Tehran.
The officials are looking for a new approach given an understanding that it would be difficult for European firms to work around new US sanctions, the newspaper said.
It said the new deal could include billions of dollars of financial aid for Iran, in line with an EU deal that provided billions in aid to Turkey for taking in millions of migrants and closing its borders, which helped end a 2015 migrant crisis.
Iran and European powers have made a good start in talks over how to salvage the JCPOA, but much depends on what happens in the next few weeks, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif said last week.