(JTA) — Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program were extended for a second time beyond the March 31 deadline for a framework accord.
News agencies reported that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday had again delayed his departure from Lausanne, Switzerland, where marathon talks have been underway for days. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will also remain in the city, and they will be joined by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, the French news agency AFP reported.
Representatives of six major world powers — the United States, Germany, France, China, Russia and Britain — have been negotiating with Iran for days in an effort to meet the self-imposed March 31 deadline for the framework accord on Iran’s nuclear program. The framework is intended to set the stage for a full and comprehensive accord to be reached by the end of June.
As the March deadline loomed on Tuesday, talks were extended one day. Late in the day Wednesday, they were extended again.
“We continue to make progress but have not reached a political understanding,” said Marie Harf, a State Department spokeswoman. “Therefore, Secretary Kerry will remain in Lausanne until at least Thursday morning to continue the negotiations.”
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