Paris: US Secretary of State John Kerry said it was “up to Iran” to prove that its nuclear programme is peaceful, following talks with his French counterpart in Paris.
“It is frankly up to Iran that wants this programme, that asserts that it has a peaceful programme... to show the world that it is exactly what they say,” said Kerry.
He was speaking alongside his French counterpart Laurent Fabius, who said there were still differences to overcome with Iran in their high-stakes talks over the country’s nuclear programme.
“There is progress in certain areas but there are also divergences that must be remedied, so there is still work to do,” Fabius said.
“We need a solid agreement, not only for us, but also for the whole region, for the security of the region, including for the Iranians,” he added.
Kerry had flown into Paris just a couple of hours earlier in a bid to shore up European support for the proposed deal with Iran ahead of a March 31 deadline.
“We are on the same page (with the Euroepans),” US Secretary of State John Kerry said after meeting French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. “We know what we are chasing after and we are chasing after the same thing.”
Kerry and Fabius cited progress in the talks, with the last round just wrapping up Wednesday in Switzerland. But the officials acknowledged big gaps that must be bridged if the sides are to reach a deal by the end of March deadline that the negotiators have set.
“There is progress in certain areas but there are also divergences,” Fabius said.
The next round of talks is set to begin March 15.
