Bibi: ‘International community must insist on a ‘better deal’ with Iran’
Israel’s Prime Minister has called for the International community to insist on a ‘better deal’ with Iran over it’s nuclear ambitions, as talks resumed hours after negotiators abandoned yesterday’s deadline to reach the outline of a deal.
Benjamin Netanyahu said the international community must insist on a “better deal” with Iran over its nuclear programme.
He said today that while world powers are making concessions to the Islamic Republic it continues to wreak havoc in the Middle East and threaten Israel with annihilation.
He says a weak deal will endanger not only Israel but world peace.
A better deal would “significantly roll back Iran’s nuclear infrastructure” and link a lifting of restrictions to “a change in Iran’s behaviour”.
However, as the discussions dragged on, three of the six foreign ministers involved left the talks and prospects for agreement remained uncertain.
US secretary of state John Kerry claimed enough progress had been made to warrant an extension after six days of intense bartering, and huddled with his British and German counterparts in the Swiss town of Lausanne to continue a marathon effort to hammer out details of a framework accord.
The foreign ministers of China, France and Russia left Lausanne overnight, although the significance of their absence, particularly when the broader group meets Iranian foreign minister Mohammed Javad Zarif, is not clear.
After the talks broke last night, Mr Zarif said solutions to many of the problems had been found and documents attesting to that would soon be drafted. Other officials were more sceptical.
Asked how high the chances of success were, German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: “I cannot say.”
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Tehran might still not be ready to accept what is on the table.
“I’m optimistic that we will make further progress this morning but it does mean the Iranians being willing to meet us where there are still issues to deal with,” Mr Hammond told British reporters. “Fingers crossed and we’ll hope to get there during the course of the day.”
Although the Chinese, French and Russian ministers left their deputies in charge, Mr Kerry postponed his planned departure to stay in Lausanne, and an Iranian negotiator said his team would stay “as long as necessary” to clear the remaining hurdles.
Officials say their intention is to produce a joint statement outlining general political commitments to resolving concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief, and their intention to begin a new phase of negotiations to get to that point.
In addition, they are trying to fashion other documents that would lay out in more detail the steps they must take by June 30 to meet those goals.
The additional documents would allow the sides to make the case that the next round of talks will not simply be a continuation of negotiations that have already been twice extended since an interim agreement between Iran, the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany was concluded in November 2013. President Barack Obama and other leaders, including Iran’s, have said they are not interested in a third extension.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
