As the seventh round of the Iran nuclear talks concluded here on Friday, a Chinese envoy said that China expects the important consensus reached in this round to be translated into a final agreement as soon as possible.
Wang Qun, Chinese envoy to the United Nations (UN) and other international organizations in Vienna, said that after three weeks of intense negotiations and through the concerted effort of all parties, the seventh round of talks produced important consensus and new documents, laying a solid foundation for advancing the follow-up negotiations as well as for bringing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) back on track. He pointed out that the Iran nuclear issue is now at a crossroads.
“China appreciates the important and irreplaceable role played by the European Union as a coordinator in the negotiations; affirms the seriousness, flexibility and pragmatism of all parties during the negotiations; highly appreciates Iran’s agreement to move forward on the basis of previous negotiations; and welcomes the important consensus reached between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the monitoring of the relevant nuclear facilities,” he said.
China expects all parties to continue to work in solidarity and to vigorously promote the resumption of negotiations in compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, he added. Wang emphasized that China has always been committed to safeguarding the JCPOA, participating constructively in the current round of negotiations, and striving to promote positive progress in the negotiations.
He said that in a phone conversation with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Thursday, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi spelled out his country’s expectations and clarified its positions on further promoting the negotiation process.
“During this round of negotiations, China put forward important ideas and suggestions,” said the Chinese envoy. “We have also had good communication and cooperation with the delegations of the United States, Iran and other parties. We maintained our unswerving commitment to continue the process of political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue and played a constructive role in keeping the negotiations on the right track.”
Wang said that China looks forward to the early launch of the eighth round of negotiations and expects to reunite with all the parties in Vienna to translate the important consensus reached in the latest round into a final agreement as soon as possible. Based on the experience of the previous seven rounds, Wang said, China has the following suggestions for the follow-up negotiations.
The first is to stick firmly with the right direction of the negotiations. Despite difficulties and obstacles, this round has led to the conclusion of several outcome documents and consensus.
“This clearly shows that dialogue and negotiation are the only way to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue,” Wang said. “We should maintain this hard-won good momentum, actively respond to each other’s legitimate concerns, and reach an early arrangement acceptable to all parties for the United States and Iran to resume the implementation of the agreement.”
The second suggestion is to focus on the substantive text negotiations. Following the latest round, all participants in the talks have a clearer understanding of others’ positions and concerns and reached the latest text that integrates the positions of all parties, he said.
“As a next step, we should improve the joint document, and simultaneously we should keep the lifting of sanctions a priority issue that must be resolved,” Wang said.
The third suggestion is to maintain a positive atmosphere during the negotiations, he said, as it is in the common interest of all parties to return to the JCPOA.
“We hope that all parties will maintain an objective and rational spirit, fully demonstrate patience, and cherish the hard-won positive atmosphere during the negotiations in the spirit of pragmatic cooperation and in search of a common ground.” Wang stressed that China will continue to firmly support the United States and Iran in resuming the negotiations for the implementation of the agreement, participate constructively in the follow-up talks, and work with all parties to promote the early negotiation outcomes. The seventh round of the JCPOA talks, which started on Nov. 29, concluded here on Friday. The talks were chaired by Enrique Mora, deputy secretary general of the European External Action Service, and were attended by the representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and Iran. The next round of negotiations is scheduled to start before the end of this year. – Xinhua
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