Shafaqna Pakistan: The United States and Iran have agreed on a roadmap designed to achieve a final agreement within 60 days following the conclusion of the first round of high-level negotiations held in Switzerland under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), according to a joint statement issued by Pakistan and Qatar early Monday.
The inaugural session of the four-party talks, involving Iran and the United States with mediation from Pakistan and Qatar, concluded in Switzerland. The meeting marked the first formal follow-up engagement since the signing of the agreement earlier this week.
According to the statement released by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Lake Lucerne Summit in Bürgenstock was held in a “positive and constructive atmosphere.” The statement noted that the discussions resulted in “encouraging progress,” including the establishment of a mechanism to facilitate further technical-level negotiations.
“Building on the Islamabad MoU, the parties agreed to establish a High-Level Committee that will “provide political oversight on the mediation. Chief negotiators will report regularly to the committee and lead working groups focused on nuclear, sanctions, and a monitoring and dispute resolution group to ensure the effective implementation of the MoU,” it added.
According to the statement, the High-Level Committee “agreed upon a roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days,” paving the way for the immediate start of further technical negotiations.
The parties also agreed to establish a communication channel for the duration of the negotiations “to avoid incidents and miscommunication” with the objective of ensuring the “safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.”
In a move aimed at supporting regional stability, the statement said the parties agreed on the creation of “a de-confliction cell” involving Lebanon, facilitated by Pakistan and Qatar, to ensure adherence to “the termination of military operations in Lebanon as per the MoU.”
“Technical talks will continue for the remainder of the week at the Burgenstock resort on all issues,” the statement said.
Pakistan and Qatar pledged to continue facilitating the process, saying they would “continue to do their utmost to ensure that the negotiations continue to be conducted in a constructive atmosphere with the aim of reaching a final deal.” The two mediating countries also expressed “sincere appreciation” to Iran and the US for their “ongoing commitment to diplomacy and a peaceful resolution to the conflict,” while commending friendly countries for their support of the negotiations.
On June 18, PM Shehbaz signed the ‘Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding’ as a mediator, formalising the major diplomatic breakthrough between the US and Iran. Israel, left out of the peace talks, has distanced itself from the US-Iran accord and kept up fighting against the Iranian-allied Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, also raising questions about whether the agreement would hold.
The US and Israel launched the war on Iran on February 28, assassinating Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and military leaders on the first day. It quickly spiralled into a regional conflict that has killed more than 7,000 people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon; driven up energy prices; renewed inflationary pressures and sparked concerns about a major food supply crisis in developing countries.
Source: Express Tribune
