09/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - Austria is opposed to sanctions against Iran that come from the EU alone, declared the Austrian foreign affairs minister, Ursula Plassnik, to the Handelsblatt newspaper on 9 October. France proposed that the Union impose its own sanctions on Tehran if the UN Security Council did not reach an agreement on a third series of economic penalties, in response to Iran's refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment programme. Plassnik stressed that “We respect UN sanctions to the letter. We will stick to this”. Germany and Italy are also opposed to separate EU sanctions. (hb)