(06/02/06) Iran: in dialoog blijven streven naar een multilateraal centrum voor de verrijking van uranium

• 2006-02-06

Nuclear Conflict Iran

Last opportunity for peaceful solution

With regard to yesterday's statement by the Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry on their readiness to continue the talks about the Russian proposal, Angelika Beer (Greens/EFA), Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Chair of the EP's Iran Delegation , today said:

"We welcome Iran's readiness for further negotiations. The short time period until the next IAEA-meeting on 6th March must be used extensively. After attacking each other verbally at the Security Conference in Munich, we urge all parties involved to stop further provocation.

We urge Iran to allow controls by IAEA without any conditions as well as unannounced inspections. Moreover, Iran must suspend all activities related to enrichment during the time of negotiations.

The Russian proposal that tends to displace enrichment to Russia, represents a good basis for confidence building and has the potential to prevent further escalation. The overall objective must be the establishment of a multilateral centre for uranium enrichment in order to reduce the danger of proliferation.

Europeans and Americans must present a concept for the Wider Middle East which includes security guarantees for both, Iran and Israel, and which puts into practice the Nuclear Weapons free zone as demanded by the IAEA-Resolution.

Pre-emptive military strikes must be renounced because they threaten a diplomatic solution to the conflict."