William Hague Pledges to "Seize the Moment" at Iran Nuclear Talks - But France Warns of "Sucker's Deal"

Fabius: French Foreign Minister | Hague: British Foreign Secretary

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Progress is made, but the British Foreign Secretary cautions that difficult issues remain unresolved - and his French counterpart takes tough line

William Hague praised Iran's representatives for adopting a "completely different" approach at the negotiations in Geneva, but cautioned against expecting an imminent deal.

Speaking on Saturday as the talks continued for an unplanned third day, the Foreign Secretary pledged to "seize the moment and seize the opportunity to reach a deal that has eluded the world".

He told journalists that "good progress" had been made - but there was no deadline for signing an agreement and it may not be possible on Saturday. If necessary, the six world powers who negotiate with Iran on the nuclear issue could reconvene at a later date.

Mr Hague acknowledged that a "wide number of issues have been satisfactorily addressed" and the "atmosphere is completely different".

Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, was more cautious than his British counterpart, telling a radio station there was "no certainty" of agreement and warning against a "sucker's deal". Mr Fabius added: "There is an initial draft that we do not accept." » | David Blair, Saturday, November 09, 2013