Brussels, 21/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - Rather than a vague and ambiguous statement from the Iranian leaders, the West expects “real reliable signals of accommodation that actually allow us to find the way back to the negotiating table,” said Frank-Walter Steinmeier after his meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. “I would strongly urge the Iranian authorities to comply with the Security Council resolution and continue to negotiate with the international community, particularly the European Union,” Ban Ki-Moon told press. As the 60-day deadline granted by the United Nations is running out, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continues to defy the international community, suggesting on Tuesday that he was ready to suspend the programme, but only if Western countries did likewise. If, as everything tends to suggest, the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) confirms on Friday that Iran has not met UN demands, Iran will lay itself open to further sanctions.
Countries opposed to nuclear arms proliferation must “preserve unity and consistency - firmness, if you will - but without fail, and this is emphasised, at all stages, openness to negotiations,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a press conference in Moscow with his French counterpart Philippe Douste-Blazy. Mr Douste-Blazy has just called for greater firmness and unanimity on the part of the international community and a further Security Council resolution. (ab)