Pakistan welcomes interim agreement on Iran nuclear issue

Pakistan on Sunday welcomed the understanding reached between Iran and P-5 Plus One in Geneva on the Iran nuclear issue. Iran and the world powers meeting in Geneva said earlier they had reached a deal on Tehran's nuclear program. "As a brotherly neighboring country of Iran, Pakistan has always underscored the importance of finding a peaceful solution to this issue," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said. "We have also been stressing the need to avert confrontation over Iran's nuclear program which had the potential to destabilize our region," said a ministry spokesman. The spokesman described the understanding as an important development, which he said should augur well for peace and security in the region and the world at large. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced on Twitter that Tehran and the P5+1 group -- the five UN Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany, have struck the deal. After intensive negotiations, the P5+1 group and Iran have reached a first-step agreement on Iran's nuclear program, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton announced early Sunday morning. According to the White House, Iran has been committed to halting enrichment above 5 percent and neutralizing its stockpile of near-20 percent uranium by means of dilution or converting. Furthermore, Iran has been committed not to installing more centrifuges, halting work at its plutonium reactor at Arak, and allowing inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency daily access to its enrichment facilities at Natanz and Fordow, the White House said. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warmly welcomed the interim agreement, congratulating the negotiators "for the progress made in what could turn out to be the beginning of a historic agreement for the peoples and nations of the Middle East region and beyond." The UN chief called on all members of the international community to support this process which "if allowed to succeed, is likely to be to the long-term benefit of all parties." Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said on Sunday "The nature of the (Geneva) agreement was a success for Iran's negotiating team."