Brussels, 27/06/2005 (Agence Europe) - The election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the new president of Iran has provoked some concerns in the EU and elsewhere in relation to the continued negotiations with the Europeans on Tehran's nuclear programme. In an interview published by La Repubblica, the Commissioner for justice and home affairs Franco Frattini explained that the EU was waiting to hear a clear line on human rights and the nuclear question from the new president but that if responses were negative the European Union would be obliged to freeze dialogue with Iran. Mr Frattini said that the maintaining of Iran's refusal to meet up in September to discuss human rights would be a test. He acknowledged that, “if they cancel this meeting, proceedings would be complicated”. The spokesperson for external relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner underlined that the EU's goal was to deepen relations with Iran and to do all they could for the country to find its place in the international community. She did say, however, that the EU's priorities were unchanged: to prevent Iran from obtaining weapons of mass destruction; to improve human rights (“dialogue on human rights will continue”); fight against terrorism; stabilise the Middle East and make it safe. Asked about the declarations of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (see below), the EU would look at what Iran did and not what its president said.
The German government (with France, United Kingdom and Javier Solana, is participating in EU3 negotiations on the nuclear issue and wants discussions to continue in “conditions defined by the Paris agreement”, as declared by foreign affairs minister, Joschka Fischer. Chancellor Schröder event considered that the EU should make Tehran new proposals for resolving the dispute on Iran's nuclear programme. Schröder informed journalists that, “Europeans would be well-advised to put an offer on the table to get things moving again in the next round of negotiations”. He added that, “we can not ban them from using nuclear energy for civilian use but we need credible guarantees that they will not be building nuclear weapons”.
On Sunday Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attempted to reassure the West by demonstrating moderation and by reaffirming his support for dialogue with the Europeans on the nuclear issue but underlined that Iran needed nuclear technology. “We need this technology in medicine and engineering…and we will pursue it”. He declared that Iran would continue discussions in the spirit of defending national interests and the right of Iran to have nuclear technology for peaceful means but, “the Europeans are obligated to fulfil their promises”. He underlined that Iran did not have any need for ties with Washington. The USA has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
“We have no reason” to change the policy with regard to Iran “at this point in time”, the European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, told a small group of journalists on Monday after the ultra-Conservative, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had won the presidential election in Iran.
On 25 May in Geneva, “we offered”, to the Iranian negotiator, Hassan Rohani, “the possibility of presenting to the Iranian leaders a comprehensive proposal around the end of July. We do not have any reason to change at this point in time”, Javier Solana said. He pointed out that Gerhard Schröder's appeal this weekend for a new proposal (see below) “is nothing new”, as, he said, Schröder had referred to a global proposal that had already been announced. The proposal in question was on nuclear issues but also on the economy, technology and security, European sources say.
Javier Solana nonetheless indicated that he was “waiting” for developments in Iran. He also shed doubt about “some ways in which the election took place”. Rather than the traditional congratulatory letter sent when a foreign leader is elected, the EU was to publish, on Monday afternoon or Tuesday, a joint statement in which it notes the result of the elections while expressing doubts and calling for continued dialogue, circles close to Javier Solana said on Monday. Solana called for agreements to be “maintained” as well as commitments on human rights.