EU demands Iran reinstate suspension of uranium enrichment

The European Union (EU) demanded on Monday Iran reinstate full suspension of all uranium enrichment- related activities and welcomed Russia's efforts in this respect.

"The European Union deplored Iran's resumption of enrichment- related activities, including enrichment at Natanz," said EU foreign ministers in a statement.

The ministers are in Brussels for a meeting, at which they also discussed West Balkans, the Middle East, Iraq and Turkish Cyprus.

"Iran's resumption of enrichment activities is a negative development. It is time for Iran to reconsider its position on these activities and other areas of concern in order to avoid further deterioration of its relationship with the EU."

They said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors has repeatedly called on Iran to suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities as an essential confidence-building measure.

"The restoration of international confidence requires full transparency and cooperation from Iran," they said.

The foreign ministers reaffirmed the EU's continued support for a diplomatic solution and welcomed Russia's efforts to seek a solution to the dispute over uranium enrichment, a critical step toward making nuclear weapons.

Under Russia's proposal, enrichment would be done on Russian soil to ensure international confidence in Iran's proclamation that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

The EU foreign ministers welcomed the resolution adopted by the IAEA Board of Governors on Feb. 4 to report the Iranian nuclear issue to the United Nations Security Council.

"The council (of foreign ministers) believed that if Iran continues to fail to heed the repeated requests made in successive IAEA Board resolutions, the Security Council should now put its weight behind the Board's requests and the IAEA's efforts to resolve outstanding questions."

The foreign ministers called on Iran to meet in full all of the IAEA Board's requests in good time before the next Board meeting on March 6, at which the board will decide on what to do next.

The foreign ministers regretted Iran's decision to withhold voluntary cooperation with the IAEA. "Iran's decision to limit cooperation further increases international concerns and suspicions about Iranian intentions and makes it more difficult for the IAEA to resolve outstanding issues."

The foreign ministers also urged Iran to protect its diplomatic missions, saying recent attacks on EU missions in Tehran were not justifiable.

Source: Xinhua