NICHOLAS SOAMES'S ORAL QUESTION TO THE FOREIGN SECRETARY ON IRAN
Question by Nicholas Soames MP to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; The Rt Hon William Hague MP, following his Statement on Iran, Monday, 25th November, 2013.
Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex) (Con): Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is a most welcome moment for a world that has grown weary of conflict to see the great achievements of diplomacy and engagement? Does he agree that a full and comprehensive agreement would not be possible without a proper interim agreement of this type, and that the key to confidence in the future will be verification and inspection?
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr William Hague): I absolutely agree with my right hon. Friend. It is vital to build trust and confidence in the habit of working together to get to a comprehensive agreement. It is also vital to have time to create that comprehensive agreement. Time was running short for any agreement, given what was happening in Iran’s nuclear programme, so for all those reasons, this is an essential step on the way to a comprehensive agreement. Anyone who fancies that, alternatively, we could have just jumped to a comprehensive agreement, needs to revise that judgment.