Week Ahead Feb. 3-7: Attention Turns to Next Round of Talks with Iran

This bulletin highlights significant events in the world of armsWeekAheadSOLO

control in the coming days, as compiled by staff and friends of the Arms Control Association.

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- the Editors at Arms Control Today

Feb. 4: Senate Hearing on "Negotiations on Iran's Nuclear Program"

With the formal implementation of the "first phase" agreement on Iran's nuclear program underway, attention is now turning to the talks on a comprehensive, final phase agreement between the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and Iran.

Two top U.S. officials, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Wendy Sherman, and Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financing at the U.S. Department of Treasury, David Cohen (and other outside witnesses) are scheduled to testify on Feb. 4 before Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the talks at 10 am in Room 410 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Talks between the P5+1 and Iran are to resume February 28 in Vienna, Austria, according to a January 31 statement from EU High Representative Catherine Ashton.

For more information and analysis, see: "Implementation of the Joint Plan of Action At a Glance" from ACA and "After the First Phase Deal With Iran" by Daryl Kimball in the December issue of Arms Control Today.

Feb. 7: Two Former Negotiators on Iran Talks

Two former U.S. officials, Nicholas Burns, former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs; and Robert Einhorn, former State Department special adviser for Nonproliferation and Arms Control will give their "Perspectives on Iran" at a briefing in Room 2118 Rayburn House Office Building at 11 a.m. The event is sponsored by the Partnership for a Secure America.

Iran and IAEA to Meet on Feb. 8

Representatives of Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will meet on Feb. 8 to discuss options for completing the agency's investigation into Iran's past nuclear activities with possible military dimensions, as well as other other transparency steps.

For more information, see ACA's new Fact Sheet on "Implementation of the Iran-IAEA Framework for Cooperation."

Pentagon to Review Missileers Reports

Next week, the Department of Defense is expected to appoint a panel of outside experts to assess the troubling behavior of ICBM launch officers who are accused of cheating on performance tests, using drugs, napping on duty, and failing to follow safety rules.