JERUSALEM (RIA Novo-sti): German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the difficult situation in negotiations on the resumption of the nuclear deal with Iran, saying that the participating countries will have decisive weeks on this issue.
“I never thought the JCPOA was perfect, but it’s better than no agreement. You can look at it differently. Today we are in a very difficult situation, because the new American administration has promised to return to the deal, but day after day goes by, and Iran is not giving signs of the resumption of negotiations. Every such day, Iran’s enrichment is increasing. This is a critical situation that we must discuss in the framework of the three plus three format (Germany, France, Great Britain and the Russian Federation, the United States, China) and discuss what this means And I see the responsibility of Russia and China here, because if the JCPOA is no longer the goal, it will be difficult. Therefore, we have decisive weeks on this issue,” she said at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Merkel noted that she is negotiating with the leaders of the Russian Federation and China, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, because “the more unity among the countries of the three plus three format, the easier it is to put pressure on Iran.”
“Unfortunately, there is no full agreement on how to proceed. Thus, Germany stands for the signal to Iran to be unambiguous – it is necessary to quickly return to the negotiating table,” the Chancellor added.
Merkel also assured Bennett of Germany’s commitment to Israel’s security. She noted that “she is optimistic that every government of Germany, including her successor, will feel their commitment to the security of Israel.”
“Any subsequent chancellor of Germany will have the same position,” Merkel said.
Bennett said that Iran’s nuclear program is at the most advanced stage in history, Israel is responsible for ensuring that Tehran can never develop a nuclear weapon.
“The Iranian nuclear program is at its most advanced stage in history. Israel’s responsibility is to make sure that Iran will never have nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons in the hands of such an extremist and brutal regime will change the face of the region. and peace. For us [Israel] this is not a strategic, but an existential problem,” Bennett’s office said.
“These days, the world is waiting for Tehran’s decision whether or not to return to the negotiating table in Vienna and whether to re-enter into an agreement on the JCPOA nuclear program [Joint Comprehensive Action Plan]. Unfortunately, over the past three years, the Iranians have made a huge step forward in the development of their opportunities for uranium enrichment. The world is waiting, the Iranians are playing for time, and the centrifuges are spinning,” the Israeli prime minister said.
Bennett also said that Israel is acting against Iran in all directions, including the daily containment of arms supplies to the Middle East region. “We in Israel are taking action against Iran on all fronts, including the daily containment of its attempts to flood our region with weapons. One can on-ly imagine the extent of the damage they could cause if the world knew that a nucl-ear bomb was behind this aggression,” Bennett said.
According to the Israeli prime minister, “Iran’s nuclear program has reached a stage requiring leadership.” “There is no point in trying to smooth out the conflict with the Iranians, they interpret the attempts at reconciliation as weakness. They continue to mislead the international community, stalling time and are constantly advancing in enriching uranium a-nd destabilizing the region. This is a critical moment, and Germany’s position is especially important,” he continued. Bennett, noting that “consent to the transformation of Iran into a threshold nuclear state will be a stain on the conscience of the free world and a threat to world peace.”
Merkel is on a visit to Israel, presumably her last as German Chancellor.
Since April, negotiations have been underway in Vienna between Iran and the international “five” (R-ussia, Great Britain, Germ-any, China and France) to restore the Iranian nuclear agreement in its original form. The parties are discussing the lifting of American sanctions on Iran, the fulfillment of its obligations in the nuclear sphere and the return of the United States to the JCPOA.
