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EU Open to Iran Nuclear Talks

DPA | May 10, 2010

Brussels – The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said Monday she was ready to give direct talks with Iran another chance, while warning that United Nations sanctions against its nuclear programme could be adopted “very rapidly.”

Turkey, which currently sits on the UN Security Council as a non- permanent member, last week suggested the EU could have another shot at finding a compromise with Tehran in order to avert new UN sanctions.

Speaking in Brussels at the end of regular monthly talks between the EU’s foreign ministers, Ashton said those sanctions were only “four to six weeks away.”

But she added that “if Iran wishes to contact me directly to propose that we have real discussions on the issue of nuclear weapons capability, (I would) be pleased to discuss that with my 3+3 colleagues and to move forward.”

The so-called 3+3 includes EU’s France, Germany and Britain, as well as Russia, China and the United States.

A spokesman said that during a meeting which followed on from the foreign ministers’ talks, Ashton asked Ankara’s top diplomat Ahmet Davutoglu to help arrange a meeting with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Saeid Jalili.

Davutoglu later told reporters that after meeting Ashton and later speaking on the phone with his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, he was “positive and optimistic.”

“Our efforts will continue in the coming days and I hope that these diplomatic efforts will help to solve the problem without having to resort to any type of sanctions,” the Turkish foreign minister stressed.

Ashton’s predecessor, Javier Solana, negotiated with Iran on behalf of the 3+3 for years, but never succeeded in convincing the country to subject its nuclear programme to international scrutiny.Ashton, who took office last December, has so far not been asked by the six-country group to continue Solana’s work.

She stressed the negotiations could restart on the condition that they focus only “around the specific and only subject … of nuclear weapons for Iran.”

The EU’s foreign policy supremo said the international community is still following a “twin track” approach with Iran, meaning that it is open to dialogue while at the same time preparing for stronger sanctions if no positive signals came from Teheran.

“We are supporting the process at the (UN) Security Council on new restrictive measures. I believe a proposal will be adopted very rapidly,” she said.

“They are expecting to bring in some kind of resolution over the coming weeks,” she added. “So I anticipate we are talking about the next four to six weeks, though I can’t be certain at this stage.”

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said negotiations would continue throughout May at the UN to convince China, a permanent Security Council member with veto powers, to back the move.

“At the beginning of June, it will be possible to discuss a resolution,” Frattini indicated.

May 11, 2010 - Posted by aletho | Aletho News