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July 23, 2008
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Wednesday
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Rajab 19, 1429
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EU won’t support military action against Iran
BRUSSELS, July 22: European Union foreign ministers said on Tuesday they will not support a military strike on Iran and want more talks to resolve worries Tehran might be developing nuclear weapons.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said it was now up to Iran to respond after talks in Geneva on Saturday between Iran and global powers.
“We are 100-per cent focused on a diplomatic resolution to the Iranian issue,” Miliband said. “The offer that has been made to Iran on the one hand ... and the sanctions on the other, if they refuse to engage and reply, is exactly the right approach.”
Miliband said Tehran had to “get serious” about answering questions over its nuclear enrichment project. Solana said “no other route” but diplomacy was envisioned for the foreseeable future.
The US and Israel have not ruled out a military strike on Iran if it continues uranium enrichment and refuses to heed UN Security Council demands.
“The position of the European Union is clear. ... We want to find a diplomatic solution to this, in particular to clarify to the fullest the nature of their nuclear program,” Solana said.
Solana said he expected “to have clear and simple answers” from his Iranian counterpart in two weeks’ time.
Sweden’s Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said that while little progress was made at Saturday’s talks it did mark “another small step,” in international efforts to convince Tehran to cooperate over its nuclear plans.
Solana briefed EU ministers on the outcome of Saturday’s meeting between Iran and Germany, China, Russia, France, the United States and Britain.
The six countries, plus Solana, sought to encourage Iran to stop enrichment of uranium, which can be used to fuel atomic weapons, in exchange for economic and political incentives. Chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili had been expected to respond to a package of incentives on offer, but stonewalled his counterparts. The US administration broke with long-standing policy to send a top diplomat to support the offer.—AP
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