France optimistic over Iran nuclear talks

France’s Foreign Affairs Minister was cautiously optimistic about nuclear negotiations with Iran after the suspension of talks in Vienna on Monday. Laurent Fabius hailed “a certain movement” on Tuesday, although the weekend talks had previously billed as a make-or-break effort.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, US Secretary of State John Kerry, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, France's Laurent Fabius and China's Wang Yi in Vienna on Monday Reuters/Joe Klamar

On Friday in Paris US Secretary of State Jçihn Kerry ruled out an extension of talks but on Monday Iran and the six major powers in the P5+1 group set a deadline of seven months to break the deadlock.

The Western powers aim to reach agreement in principle by 1 March 2015 with details to be settled later.

“The negotiations have gone faster recently and I have to say […] that the tone has been generally positive even if agreement has not been reached,” Fabius said.

There had been “a certain movement” on the contentious question of uranium enrichment and on how the process would be monitored, he declared.

“There is […] a will to reach agreement that I did not feel during previous negotations,” Fabius commented.

Last year France, represented by Fabius, was widely held responsible for a failure to agree at talks with Iran.