Germany concerned over Iran’s nuclear programme

DPA: German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Wednesday expressed alarm over Iran’s nuclear programme, but suggested
no new initiatives aimed at dealing with Teheran.
“It’s a great cause of concern,” said Schroeder in a speech to parliament. DPA

BERLIN – German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Wednesday expressed alarm over Iran’s nuclear programme, but suggested no new initiatives aimed at dealing with Teheran.

“It’s a great cause of concern,” said Schroeder in a speech to parliament.

Last year the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain brokered a deal – which now appears to have failed – over Iran’s uranium-enrichment activities believed by some analysts to be aimed at building nuclear weapons.

Under the agreement, there was to be a delay in reporting Iran’s programmes to the United Nations Security Council in exchange for a halt to uranium enrichment work.

But Teheran apparently failed to hold to its part of the deal and the International Atomic Energy Agency will now likely have to report on the problem to the Security Council.

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer called on Iranian leaders “not to make the wrong choice”.

“I can only again appeal to Teheran to understand how important it is abide by the agreement,” said Fischer in a speech to parliament.

Failure of Iran to do so could lead to “considerable new dangers” in a region already fraught with problems, said Fischer.