How a Mandatory IAEA Mechanism Saved the Iran Nuclear Talks (Le Monde, France)

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How a Mandatory IAEA Mechanism Saved the Iran Nuclear Talks (Le Monde, France)

"France put forward a proposal that would consider lifting some U.N. sanctions in exchange for the adoption of a mechanism called 'Snap Back,' which would reimpose sanctions if Iran failed to keep its commitments. Russia, however, is reluctant to approve an automatic process that would deprive permanent Security Council members of their veto rights. … Another obstacle for France in particular was the demand that without clear assurances of the total absence of a military dimension to Iran's nuclear program, U.N. sanctions should not be touched. In any event, the diplomats judged that without the approval of the International Atomic Energy Agency, these cannot be lifted, and that is a process that is likely to take several years."

By Special Envoy Yves-Michel Riols

Translated By Pierre Guittard

April 2, 2015

France – Le Monde – Original Article (French)

Lausanne: In the final stretch of negotiations in Lausanne, the question of lifting international sanctions against Iran was at the heart of all the tension. And not just between Iranians and Westerners, but also within the "P5 1," which includes the United States, Russia, China, France, the U.K. and Germany. That was particularly evident in the evening of Tuesday, March 31 to Wednesday, April 1, when the talks appeared to be on the verge of collapse.

Posted By Worldmeets.US

Russia, discreetly backed by China, openly detached itself from the rest of the "P5+1" and advocated the immediate lifting of all sanctions against Iran in the event of an agreement, including U.N. sanctions. However, six U.N. Security Council resolutions adopted between 2006 and 2010 are precisely those that Europeans and Americans want to lift last as they focus mainly on nuclear proliferation activity.

Thorny issue of lifting sanctions

For Tehran, however, a lifting of sanctions has strong symbolic value because as long as they are in place Iran will continue to be treated with suspicion by the international community.

"To obtain a lifting of U.N. sanctions would allow President Rohani to present the nuclear deal as a victory by arguing that the country has regained respectability, which would facilitate additional concessions on its nuclear program," says Ali Vaez, an Iran expert at the International Crisis Group.

Hence the intense debate that took place in Lausanne to reach a compromise on this difficult issue. France put forward a proposal that would consider lifting some U.N. sanctions in exchange for the adoption of a mechanism called Snap Back, which would reimpose sanctions if Tehran fails to keep its commitments. Russia, however, is reluctant to approve an automatic process that would deprive permanent Security Council members of their veto rights.

Another obstacle for France in particular was the demand that without clear assurances of the total absence of a military dimension to Iran's nuclear program, U.N. sanctions should not be touched. In any event, the diplomats judged that without the approval of the International Atomic Energy Agency, these cannot be lifted, and that is a process that is likely to take several years.

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[Posted By Worldmeets.US, April 2, 2015, 5:15pm]

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