Iran-US Bürgenstock summit officially underway

The Iran-US summit at Bürgenstock in the north-west has officially begun Keystone-SDA

Peace negotiations between the United States and Iran at the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock officially got underway on Sunday afternoon.

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Those in attendance included US vice-president J.D. Vance and the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammed Ghalibaf, as well as the prime ministers of Qatar and Pakistan.

The US and Iran began a four-party round of talks with the two mediators, as reported by the Keystone-SDA news agency. The meeting is intended to kick off two months of negotiations, following a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries on Wednesday to end the conflict in the Middle East.

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In his opening address, Vance spoke of a “historic meeting”. He called for “turning a new page” in the Middle East.

The negotiations began four days after presidents Donald Trump and Massoud Peseschkian signed a framework agreement in Versailles on Wednesday to end the war in the Middle East.

The aim is to reach a final agreement, particularly on Iran’s nuclear programme, but also on the lifting of sanctions and the release of Iranian assets by the US.

Switzerland was represented by foreign minister Ignazio Cassis, who greeted greeted his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghtschi and Vance.

Up to 2,000 members of the armed forces and the police provided security at the Nidwalden site.

The talks at Bürgenstock were likely to last “a few days”, Vance told the media on Saturday. He added that he would only be able to stay in Switzerland for “one or two days”.

He hoped that progress would be made on the nuclear issue and the ceasefire in Lebanon. These were the two main points on which, in his view, the discussions would focus.

Translated from German, sub-edited by mga