EU Debates Tougher Line on Iran’s Nuclear Intentions
Al Hayat 2004/09/13
Today, the European Union Foreign Ministers publicly cast doubt on Tehran's promises not to develop a nuclear bomb, and considered backing Washington's call to have Iran brought before the United Nations Security Council.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer warned that Iran must not take "the road to the technology that produces highly enriched uranium. That fills me with concern."
"There is a risk Iran is making a huge error," Fischer said. "I hope they understand that. If not, we will end up in a very serious situation."
The 25 EU ministers meeting in Brussels had hoped Iranian authorities would be ready to compromise and give up their uranium enrichment program, which European and other countries fear could be used to make nuclear weapons.
Despite a commitment from Tehran last October that it would comply with an agreement with Britain, France and Germany, the pact has so far not been implemented.
"Since then they have said they were going to restart part of that process," said British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, "that has undermined confidence" within the international community.
"They cannot turn the issue of confidence on and off like a tap," he said.
Today's EU talks came as a key meeting of the U.N.'s atomic agency opened in Vienna, where the United States is trying to persuade other countries to threaten Iran with tougher action at the United Nations if it does not comply.
The EU is concerned that threatening Teheran with possible sanctions could jeopardize its goal of sealing a lucrative free trade pact with Iran to invest in its gas and oil industries. But officials admit that a tougher diplomatic line might be needed, and trade talks have been suspended as a result of Iran's nuclear moves.
Straw said the U.N. meeting would discuss setting a November deadline for Iran to meet international demands over its nuclear program.
In a confidential IAEA draft resolution prepared by France, Germany and Britain, the three EU nations warned of possible "further steps" by November, the next time the U.N. agency convenes its board of governors.
EU officials said, however, that they did not expect EU ministers to take any action beyond tougher diplomatic language at today's meeting, adding that the bloc was awaiting the outcome of the IAEA talks.
Outside EU headquarters where the meeting was being held, thousands of demonstrators demanded that the Iranian opposition group, the People's Mujahideen Organization of Iran, be taken off the EU's terrorist blacklist.
The march was backed by several EU lawmakers and drew protesters from across Europe, organizers said.
"This blacklisting of the PMOI is less legitimate than ever," said group spokesman Shahin Gobadi, adding that his group had never been involved in terrorism.
The PMOI, also known as the Mujahideen Khalq, fought Iran's Islamic rulers from Iraq for years with the backing of Saddam Hussein's regime.
It was disarmed by U.S. forces in Iraq soon after major hostilities in the war ended on May 1 and has been corralled into a camp near Baghdad.
Iran has called on the U.S.-led coalition to extradite the Mujahideen.
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