China's important role in Iranian nuclear talks(2)

There are two possibilities -- one is that all the relevant parties might be able to "turn the corner" to work out a final comprehensive solution, and the other is prolonging the talks since the issue involves a lot of professional and technical aspects which need detailed discussions, Wang said.

"If we don't have enough time here, I believe all the parties concerned will continue to think about whether we will be able to extend the duration of this negotiation and how long it will be extended," Wang told reporters in Vienna.

Following the agreement to extend the talks until June 30, 2015, Qin Gang, a spokesman of China's Foreign Ministry, urged parties concerned to preserve the momentum of negotiations, find a consensus in a step-by-step and reciprocal way and strive for a mutual-beneficial comprehensive nuclear deal as soon as possible.

IMPORTANT MEDIATOR IN NUCLEAR TALKS

Since Shah Pahlavi of Iran, who was able to restore his monarch thanks to a coup staged by the United States, was ousted in the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Tehran and Washington have seen each other as adversaries.

The hostility between the two countries has been deteriorating the Iranian nuclear issue, and has become a major barrier in Vienna talks.

Despite the obvious difficulty, China has actively mediated between Tehran and Washington in rounds of tough negotiations. The unbiased and practical stance China adopts has been proven effective in diminishing the differences between Iran and the U.S.-led Western powers.

"With an unbiased position, China has participated in several rounds of mediation between parties, especially between Iran and United States, in an effort to narrow the gaps and facilitate mutual understanding," Wang told reporters in Vienna in November.

China can play a possible role "between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif and the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry" to smooth the way for a deal in the ongoing nuclear talks, Zibakalam told Xinhua.

China can persuade Iran and the United States to reach a compromise, for example, on Iran's Arak heavy water reactor, and China can also persuade Tehran to make a concession in exchange for assistance to Iran in many fields including construction of projects, the Iranian expert said.