EU calls on countries to enforce Iran sanctions
The European Union today called on all countries to enforce limited sanctions against Iran that the United Nations security council approved last year in a bid to force Tehran back to the negotiating table to discuss its nuclear program.
In a declaration, the EU foreign ministers welcomed the December 23 sanctions decision "and called on all countries to implement the measures in full and without delay".
British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said a co-ordinated enforcement of the sanctions was important "to keep pressure on Iran to accept the offer of the international community to come back to the negotiating table".
She told reporters that the 27-nation EU would implement the sanctions "as speedily and effectively as we can".
EU officials said the 27-nation bloc would implement the measures in early February.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that the sanctions would not deter his country from pursuing its nuclear program, which the United States and EU fear is being used to make weapons. Tehran says the program is only to produce energy.
The UN Security Council imposed limited sanctions to punish Iran for defying a resolution demanding that it suspend uranium enrichment, a process that can produce material to fuel nuclear reactors or to build bombs.
EU officials said they were already drafting regulations to implement the UN sanctions, which include a ban on selling materials and technology that could be used in Iran's nuclear and missile programmes and the freezing of assets of 10 Iranian companies and individuals.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said there was widespread "consensus and determination … to implement UN sanctions".
He said the EU remains open to negotiations, if Iran suspends it uranium enrichment program.
Douste-Blazy said France would not send a special envoy to Tehran to discuss Iran's nuclear program, adding that EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana would continue to represent France's interests.
French Foreign Ministry officials said last week that Paris was studying the possibility of sending Douste-Blazy or another envoy to Iran.
French officials recently have stressed the need for dialogue with Iran, often referring to it as a "great nation" and saying it has a role to play in resolving the Middle East's many crises.
"It would be useful to talk to Iran under certain conditions," Douste-Blazy said.
The EU already has in place a de-facto 10-year ban on the sale of weapons to Iran. Its foreign ministers reiterated that a package of economic incentives remains on offer if Tehran abandons nuclear enrichment
Under the December 23 security council decision, Iran was given two months to return to negotiations.
