Brussels, 19/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - “It is very important that Iran restore confidence on its uranium enrichment to enable diplomacy to do its work”, Michael Mann, spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, said on Tuesday 18 December. He was thus replying to the statement made earlier in the day by the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation explaining that his country “will not suspend its 20% uranium enrichment because of the demands of others”.
Mann also said that the EU is still waiting for Iran's response to the proposal made on Wednesday 12 December on a new round of negotiation between Tehran and the E3+3 (Germany, France, United Kingdom and China, United States and Russia). The proposal was made during a telephone conversation between the deputy secretary general of the European External Action Service, Helga Schmid, and Iran's deputy negotiator, Ali Bagheri, during which they had discussed the route to be pursued for a new round of negotiations - including possible dates and places for a meeting. Mann stated that contact between the two parties continues. “It is important for us that the negotiations continue because we need to have negotiated settlement to this issue to restore the international community's confidence in the purely peaceful nature of the uranium enrichment programme”, he added. (CG/transl.fl)