The European Union has suspended a travel ban against
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, a former head of Iran's
nuclear energy agency, an EU spokeswoman said Thursday.
"He is suspended from the travel ban because of his new role as foreign
minister," said Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief
Catherine Ashton.
Salehi, who became acting foreign minister in December and officially took
charge as chief diplomat in February, had been forbidden on EU soil for his
role in his country's nuclear activities.
The decision to suspend the travel ban was taken by EU foreign ministers Monday
even as they expanded sanctions on the Islamic republic by adding more than 100
firms to a blacklist of companies hit by an assets freeze.
Ashton is seeking to revive international talks with Iran
over a nuclear program that the West suspects serves as a cover to build an
atomic bomb.
The EU and the U.S. have slapped unilateral sanctions on Iran
on top of punitive measures imposed by the United Nations over Iran's
refusal to halt nuclear activities.
Iran
denies the charge and insists it is merely trying to produce civilian energy.