ISLAMABAD: Pakistan cautiously welcomed on Saturday the nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers, saying it hoped that a final deal could be reached by the end of June.

“It is our earnest hope that the parties concerned will be able to finalise the comprehensive agreement before the end of June and its implementation will contribute to stability in the region,” the Foreign Office said in a statement on the agreement reached between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, on Thursday.

Read: Framework for final deal reached at Iran nuclear talks

The agreement announced in Lausanne, Switzerland, provides the basic framework for concluding a final agreement before June 30 deadline. The framework agreement was hailed by US President Barack Obama as a “historic understanding” and EU foreign policy chief called it a “decisive step”.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani vowed to abide by the agreement and described it as the first step towards normalisation with the West since the 1979 Islamic revolution led by Khomeini.

While the framework agreement was concluded after intense negotiations, experts say reaching the final deal could be even more difficult.

Pakistan’s reaction echoed the position taken by Saudi Arabia and Turkey on the cooperation, who too hoped for Iran and the world powers concluding the final agreement. Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz was quoted by SPA news agency as having “expressed his hope that reaching a final binding deal would strengthen the stability and security of the region and the world” in a telephonic conversation with President Obama.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavusoglu had, meanwhile, “hoped the parties will reach a final agreement by 1 July”.

The FO statement further said: “Pakistan had consistently maintained that the Iran nuclear issue should be resolved peacefully through dialogue.”

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2015

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