VIENNA, November 19 (Sputnik), Daria Chernyshova — Should the P5+1 group and Iran not reach an agreement on Tehran's nuclear program by the November 24 deadline, the extension of the talks should be short to prevent the hardliners from impeding the negotiations, Director for Nonproliferation Policy at Arms Control Association told Sputnik on Wednesday.
"If that isn't possible [reaching an agreement], the sides will need to see if they made enough progress to justify a short extension," Kelsey Davenport said. "Extending the talks is certainly preferable than walking away from the negotiating table. Nobody wins if the talks fail. But I think the extension will need to be short, because there are headliners in Washington and particularly in Tehran that oppose the agreement."
Davenport explained that the extension will give the opponents of the agreement a greater chance to undermine the "significant progress" that has been made by the negotiating parties.
The director also stressed that the negotiators should do their utmost to reach an agreement before a new US Congress meets in January 2015, as the prevailing Republicans might make it harder to gain congressional support for the deal, for they were more opposed to the agreement.
Iran's nuclear program has been a matter of concern for several countries, with the West accusing the country of attempts to develop nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear program, although Tehran has denied the claims.
During talks in Geneva in November 2013, the P5+1 group agreed to reach a deal with Iranian authorities guaranteeing the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program by July, with the deadline for the agreement subsequently being extended to November 24.
