German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday the time was nearing for sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program as Tehran has rejected Western efforts to find a negotiated solution.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday the time was nearing for
sanctions on
Iran
over
its disputed nuclear program as
Tehran
has
rejected Western efforts to find a negotiated solution.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Merkel
said: "I made clear that we are coming to the phase where there should be
sanctions against
Iran
.
"
Iran
has
not accepted the constructive offers we have made and has even rejected
them," she added.
Merkel's comments came a day after French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner
said the European Union was ready to impose unilateral sanctions as Western
powers struggle to forge a consensus within the United Nations Security Council.
Germany
is
one of six powers negotiating with
Iran
over
its nuclear program, together with permanent, veto-wielding Security Council
members the
U.S.
,
China
,
Russia
, the
U.K.
and
France.
China, which recently replaced Germany to become Iran's biggest trading partner
as a big buyer of its oil, is seen as less keen on fresh sanctions, while
Russia has also expressed misgivings.
The West suspects
Iran
of
secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons, a charge rejected by
Tehran
,
which says its atomic program is purely for civilian energy purposes.
In other remarks, Merkel sharply criticized
Israel
's
decision to build new settler homes in
East Jerusalem
,
calling it a "serious step back" in efforts to forge peace in the
Middle
East
.
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