Brussels, 14/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 13 February, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton said she hopes that Iran will come to the negotiations on its nuclear programme with the E3+3 (Germany, France, United Kingdom and China, United States Russia), showing flexibility. The negotiations will take place in Almaty (Azerbaijan) on 26 February. “We hope Iran will come to this negotiation with flexibility and that we can make substantial progress”, she told the United Nations Security Council. Stating that the E3+3 remains determined to maintain the dual track approach (negotiations and sanctions), Ashton said that “there is no doubt that the pressure of sanctions has been instrumental in bringing Iran back to the negotiating table”, but she underlined that “sanctions cannot be an end in themselves. The key is for Iran to comply fully with its international obligations”, she concluded.
The British permanent representative at the Security Council, Philip Parham, stated that the proposal that the E3+3 wants to present to Iran is updated and credible, and that it was balanced. “The onus is on Iran to come to the next talks ready to negotiate seriously, and to take concrete steps to respond to international concerns over its nuclear programme”, he said. His French counterpart, Gérard Araud, expects confidence-building measures from Tehran. However, he warned that as long as Iran does not respect its obligations, the E3+3 will intensify their pressure so as to convince Iran to abandon its policy of isolation and provocation.
The Iranian mission to the UN stressed that the Islamic Republic takes the Almaty negotiations seriously, and hopes that the E3+3 will be serious and show openness so that they can reach fruitful and positive results. In a press release, the mission adds that the dual track approach is “a futile exercise” because the track of exerting pressure on Iran “will derail the efforts of the diplomatic track”. (CG/transl.fl)