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Give diplomacy with Iran a chance: EU diplomats

Thursday, 22 January 2015 10:50 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 22 January 2015 10:50 AM ]

The representatives of Iran and the P5+1 countries pose for a picture during their meeting in Vienna, Austria, November 24, 2014.

Foreign ministers of France, Britain and Germany as well as a senior European Union (EU) official have expressed their support for a diplomatic resolution of the dispute over Iran’s nuclear energy program.

In an article published in the Washington Post on Wednesday, Laurent Fabius, Philip Hammond, and Frank-Walter Steinmeier along with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini warned against passing new sanctions or other legislation that would disrupt the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group.

“In this context, our responsibility is to make sure diplomacy is given the best possible chance to succeed. Maintaining pressure on Iran through our existing sanctions is essential, but introducing new hurdles at this critical stage of the negotiations, including through additional nuclear-related sanctions legislation on Iran, would jeopardize our efforts at a critical juncture,” they said.

The European diplomats said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “continues to verify that Iran is meeting its commitments” to an interim nuclear deal it signed with six world powers in November 2013.

“For the first time, however, we may have a real chance to resolve” the dispute over Tehran’s nuclear issue “peacefully”. “We can’t let that chance pass us by or do anything to derail our progress. We have a historic opportunity that might not come again,” they said.

The remarks come as a bipartisan group of US senators is pushing a new round of sanctions on Iran and could be part of the Senate’s agenda in coming weeks.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - China, Russia, Britain, France, and the United States - plus Germany wrapped up their last round of nuclear talks in Geneva on December 17, 2014, three weeks after they failed to reach a final agreement by a November 24 deadline despite making some progress.

The two sides agreed to extend their discussions for seven more months until July 1, 2015.

The scale of Iran’s uranium enrichment and the timetable for the lifting of anti-Iran sanctions are seen as major sticking points in the talks.

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