Swedish FM cautions against rush to Iran sanctions

(BRUSSELS) - Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt warned Iran Thursday that time is running out for it to respond to a plan to end the nuclear standoff but cautioned against rushing blindly into sanction action.

Speaking to members of the European parliament, Bildt noted that Iran had still not responded positively to a plan by the UN nuclear watchdog for fuel to be reprocessed abroad for use in an atomic research reactor in Tehran.

"I wouldn't close the door just yet, but the time is running out on the Tehran research reactor," said Bildt, whose country holds the European Union's rotating presidency until the end of the month.

Many in the West suspect the Islamic republic is covertly trying to build a nuclear bomb with highly-enriched uranium. Iran says it is developing a civil energy programme, and has rejected attempts to force it to stop enrichment.

At a summit starting later Thursday, European Union leaders are set to adopt a declaration noting that Iran's stance will require "a clear response, including through appropriate measures."

But they will also commit to forge ahead with a "dual-track strategy" combining political and economic incentives with the threat of coercive action.

Iran is already labouring under three sets of UN sanctions, but Bildt urged his EU counterparts to carefully think out any further measures, warning that progress could be undermined if the steps have no real impact.

"It is one of the instruments that is very easy to talk about, but you have to be very careful when you implement. It is very, very simple to shoot yourself in the foot," he said.

"We should discuss whether it is implementable, whether it is effective and whether it contributes to resolving the problem," he told members of the assembly's foreign affairs committee.

"Policy towards Iran must be effected with utmost care," he said.

He noted that since the fraud-marred elections in June "all the key actors on the Iranian domestic scene are finding it much more important to move against each other," than to act on issues of international concern.

The fraud allegations sparked a wave of mass protests and arrests, including of diplomatic staff from EU nations.