Significant progress' in nuclear talks, no 'final result yet': Iran's Zarif

LAUSANNE - Agence France-Presse

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif talks to members of the media while walking through a courtyard at the Beau Rivage Palace Hotel during an extended round of talks in Lausanne April 1, 2015. REUTERS Photo

All-night nuclear talks between Iran and major powers made "significant progress," but there is no "final result yet," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Thursday during a break in negotiations.
      
"We don't have any final result yet," Zarif told reporters in Switzerland. The six powers "have to examine among themselves the results of the negotiations. We don't know yet the result of those discussions."       
"This should happen this morning," he said. "If these solutions are approved, it is expected that there will be a joint declaration made by me and Mrs (Federica) Mogherini", the EU foreign policy chief, Zarif said.
      
"There will be a statement to the press which should be announced but the text still has to be worked on," Zarif said.
      
The talks are aimed at agreeing the outlines of a major deal to be finalised by June 30 to ease concerns that Iran might develop nuclear weapons under the guise of civilian programme, an aim it denies.
      
Zarif said that the "real task" of hammering out this highly technical and complex final accord in the next three months will be a "difficult and immense task".
      
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Zarif have been negotiating since last Thursday. The foreign ministers of the other powers joined at the weekend, although Russia's Sergei Lavrov and China's Wang Yi have since left.