The European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has urged Iran to reassure the world about the nature of its nuclear program, but there is little hope talks will resume any time soon, diplomats said Monday.
The European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has urged
Iran
to
reassure the world about the nature of its nuclear program, but there is little
hope talks will resume any time soon, diplomats said Monday.
Replying to a letter from
Iran
's
chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, Ashton called on
Tehran
to
"demonstrate its willingness" to address international concerns,
without pre-conditions, her spokeswoman told AFP.
The European Union's chief diplomat also asked
Iran
to
"engage seriously in meaningful discussions on concrete confidence-building
steps, in order to allow for a new round of talks with
Iran
to be
convened," said the spokeswoman, Maja Kocijancic.
Ashton's reply confirms the determination of six countries--the
U.S.
, the
U.K.
,
France
,
Germany
,
Russia
and
China
--to work
"towards a comprehensive negotiated solution" that restores
confidence "in the exclusively peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear
program," she said.
But while the letter invokes the possibility of talks "in the next few
weeks," European diplomats said the atmosphere has deteriorated, notably
after the
U.S.
foiled an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to
Washington
.
The Iranians "have not seriously responded to the concerns of the
international community" and the country's activities "are not going
in the right direction," said a diplomat.
EU leaders warned at a summit Sunday that
Iran
risks
new sanctions if it fails to return to international talks aimed at easing
concerns about its disputed nuclear program.
The leaders urged
Iran
to
enter "constructive and substantial talks" with international powers
"in a way to arrive at a comprehensive, negotiated, long-term solution of
the nuclear question in order to avoid possible further restrictive
measures."
At the same time, EU leaders said they were asking their foreign ministers
"to prepare new restrictive measures to be decided upon and to be
implemented at the appropriate moment in the case that
Iran
continues not to cooperate seriously nor to meet its obligations."
The European leaders reiterated the "commitment of the European Union to
work for a diplomatic solution of this issue."
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