Interfax: Moscow hopes six mediators, Iran overcome differences in further talks

MOSCOW. Nov 25 (Interfax) – Moscow hopes another extension of the six-party talks with Iran will be the last, says Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

“With respect to the decisions, the last four days have been more important than the last four months, and the issues that remain are so obvious and clear that we are very hopeful that the extension that was announced will really be last,” Ryabkov told Russian reporters.

“Of course, significant efforts will be required to agree upon technical addenda, but the main document, I think, will be ready to a high degree in the very near future,” the diplomat said.

“Any negotiating disruption, any delay in talks, delay in decisions have not only a psychological effect on the participants, but lead to political ripples as well,” he also said.

“We are very hopeful that these ripples will not become as big as a tsunami, and that everything that was reached in Vienna will not be washed away by this tsunami. At any rate, that is what we were exhorting all partners to yesterday,” Ryabkov said.

He also denied that the events in the Middle East, including conflicts in Syria and Iraq, had any impact on the course of the Vienna negotiations.

“We worked practically without switching to other topics,” the diplomat said.

“I am not talking about bilateral meetings between ministers when they were holding their contacts and touching on a variety of issues, including the non-regional ones. This is natural because having ministers show up in the same place is a reason to discuss various subjects and aspects,” he said.

“But we did not feel any direct effect from what is happening in Syria, in Iraq, the situation around ISIS and so on, on the course of the negotiations,” Ryabkov added.