U.S., EU reject further talks with Iran

Iran Focus: London, Jan. 19 – The United States and the European Union rejected on Wednesday an Iranian offer to conduct a fresh round of talks between the EU-3 – Britain, France, and Germany – and the Islamic Republic over the latter’s suspected nuclear weapons program. Iran Focus

London, Jan. 19 – The United States and the European Union rejected on Wednesday an Iranian offer to conduct a fresh round of talks between the EU-3 – Britain, France, and Germany – and the Islamic Republic over the latter’s suspected nuclear weapons program.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and EU Commission High Representative Javier Solana told reporters prior to their meeting in Washington D.C., that the latest Iranian offer contained nothing new and talks between the EU-3 and Tehran could not resume unless Iran suspended nuclear enrichment activities it began last week in breach of its international obligations.

Iran recommenced nuclear research and development in its massive uranium enrichment facility in Natanz despite promises to the EU-3 and the International Atomic Energy Agency that it would refrain from doing so.

“The EU has made quite clear that the Iranians have crossed an important threshold, that it is now important for the IAEA Board of Governors to act so that Iran knows that the international community will not tolerate its continued acting with impunity against the interest of the international community”, Rice told reporters.

“Iran must not be allowed to get a nuclear weapon, it must not be allowed to pursue activities that might lead to a nuclear weapon and on that we are fully united”, the U.S. Secretary of State said.

Solana added that the EU had received a letter from Iran’s national security advisor Ali Larijani asking the EU-3 to return to negotiations.

“It is the Iranians who walked away from the negotiations, who broke the moratorium and, as that condition exists, I am sensing from the Europeans that there’s not much to talk about”, Rice said.

The EU foreign policy chief concurred. “We are now replying that it doesn’t make much sense to have another meeting if there’s nothing new in what they are going to put on the table. So I think the position now is and actually we have said and the Secretary has said today, which is to have the decision: (a) to call for an extraordinary meeting of Vienna — of the agency; and then to refer [Iran”> to the Security Council.