Brussels, 22/02/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 22 February, the Foreign Affairs Council discussed the Iranian nuclear programme which is still causing the EU27 considerable concern. There is still a “lack of confidence” on the part of the international community towards Tehran and the Iranian authorities are “doing nothing” to put this right, Catherine Ashton deplored speaking to the press after the Council. The EU is willing to continue dialogue with Iran “but the dialogue needs to produce results”, the EU high representative for foreign affairs said. Although the 27 ministers have confirmed their attachment to the “double track approach” recommended by the EU - the determination to envisage new sanctions if Tehran does not meet its international commitments while continuing diplomatic efforts to reach a negotiated solution - some differences of opinion have emerged regarding how appropriate it is to choose one of these options. The French secretary of state for European affairs, Pierre Lellouche, for example, called in favour of delivering a “very firm message” to Iran. “Unfortunately”, he added, “everything Iran has done in the past few weeks has confirmed the fact that we must move on to sanctions”.
Other ministers, such as Carl Bildt of Sweden or Jean Asselborn of Luxembourg, said it will be necessary to give diplomacy more time. “With sanctions, there can be no solution. There is only one way to solve the problem and that is the diplomatic way. We must use every possible diplomatic means”, Asselborn said. Carl Bildt also wishes to wait for the UN Security Council discussion before deciding on the next step, such as unilateral EU sanctions. “There is discussion underway at the Security Council, so let us wait and see what comes out of it. It is only if the international community is united, that it can have an impact”, he said. The Council finally concluded that the process underway at the Security Council was “the most appropriate way of taking forward the issue of Iran”, Ashton told the press. (H.B./transl.jl)