EU's Ashton urges Iran to agree to nuclear talks
(BRUSSELS) - EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton urged Iran Friday to accept an offer of talks on its nuclear programme, after the UN's atomic watchdog adopted a resolution speaking of its "deep concern".
"I urge Iran once again to respond positively to the offers and proposals made by myself, together with the E3+3," she said in a statement.
Ashton is also the negotiator for the group of six, comprising EU powers Britain, France, Germany and China, Russia and the US.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolution adopted in Vienna said it was "essential for Iran and the Agency to intensify their dialogue".
It called on Tehran "to comply fully and without delay with its obligations under relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council."
But to assuage Chinese and Russian misgivings, the resolution has no timeframe for Iran to comply.
While the West accuses Iran of seeking to build a nuclear weapon, Tehran insists its programme is solely for civilian energy use.
In her statement, Ashton said the resolution was "a reaction to the particularly incriminating findings on Iranian military nuclear activities provided in the latest IAEA report."
She had still not received a reply to a letter sent to Tehran last month reiterating the talks offer on the table, she added.
Ashton made no reference to the recent EU decision to prepare fresh sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme unless Tehran cooperated fully with the IAEA.
However diplomatic services said work on preparing the new sanctions was underway and they should be ready for a December 1 meeting of European foreign ministers in Brussels.
On Friday, the UN atomic watchdog's board passed a resolution expressing "deep and increasing concern" about Iran's nuclear activities following a damning new report from the Vienna-based body.
Last week, the IAEA came the closest yet to accusing Iran outright of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a report immediately rejected by the Islamic republic as "baseless."
Iran reacted by announcing that it would not attend a UN atomic agency forum next week on creating a Middle East free of nuclear weapons.
"How we can possibly attend?" Ali Soltanieh told reporters after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s board of governors passed a resolution condemning Iran's nuclear programme, Tehran's envoy to the Vienna-based body said.