The Group of Eight industrialized nations intends to pursue new sanctions against Iran this fall unless the Middle Eastern state agrees to join multilateral talks aimed at halting its disputed nuclear activities, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said yesterday (see GSN, July 8).
(Jul. 9) -
French President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday warned that the Group of Eight industrialized states could pursue new sanctions against Iran if the nation does not agree by September to join multilateral nuclear talks (Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images).
France and other Western powers have expressed concern that specific Iranian atomic activities could support a nuclear weapons program in the country. Tehran has maintained that its nuclear program has no military component.
The G-8 countries plan to review Iran's behavior during the Group of 20 global economic summit on Sept. 24 and 25 in Pittsburgh, Sarkozy said, according to Reuters.
"If there is no progress by then we will have to take decisions," he said.
Russia resisted calls at the summit to immediately pursue new sanctions against Iran, Sarkozy told reporters.
"We made an effort to agree not to strengthen sanctions straightaway in order to bring everyone on board. The more reserved amongst us agreed that Pittsburgh was the time for decisions," he said.
The G-8 nations issued a joint statement urging Iran to pursue a peaceful settlement to the nuclear standoff. "We sincerely hope that Iran will seize this opportunity to give diplomacy a chance," the document states (Jarry/Mason, Reuters I, July 8).
“We want to give negotiation every chance. If that works, then great. If that leads nowhere, then that won’t be without consequences,” Sarkozy added, according to Agence France-Presse (Agence France-Presse I/Khaleej Times, July 8).
The G-8 statement emphasizes "the sense of urgency that I think all eight leaders feel about the nuclear issue," and "the deep concern about Iran's continued failure to meet its international obligations," Time quoted U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns as saying yesterday (Massimo Calabresi, Time, July 9).
The political turmoil in Iran that followed its disputed presidential election in June has made the outcome of diplomatic overtures difficult to predict, U.S. national security adviser Gen. James Jones said on French radio.
"What's happened since the elections is really worrying. And we have to wait before drawing any conclusions," AFP quoted Jones as saying. "President Obama is trying to create a normal relationship with Iran and we are waiting for a response from the Iranians," on his proposal for dialogue, said Jones. "The ball is in the Iranians' court" (Agence France-Presse II/Haveeru, July 8).
Iran yesterday indicated it would not back up "even one step" on its nuclear program, the Associated Press reported.
"Britain and France would want a weakened Iran at the negotiating table and are after the complete stoppage of Iran's nuclear activity," said Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran will be present at the scene even more strongly than yesterday and will not retreat even one step from its peaceful nuclear activity," Velayati said, according to Reuters (Reuters II, July 9).
Meanwhile, a European court today blocked attempt by Iran's Bank Melli to overturn EU sanctions targeting the Iranian nuclear program, AFP reported. The European Union implemented the penalties last year in compliance with U.N. Security Council sanctions.
"The court dismisses the action and upholds the fund-freezing decision," says the ruling by the Court of First Instance in Luxembourg. "Freezing of the funds of entities owned or controlled by an entity engaging in nuclear proliferation is necessary and appropriate in order to ensure the effectiveness of the measures adopted" (Agence France-Presse III/Spacewar.com, July 9).
Obama noted Brazil's close economic relationship with Tehran and encouraged the South American nation's president to act as an intermediary between Iran and the G-8 nations, the White House said today.
Obama spoke briefly today with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, AP reported (Associated Press II/Yahoo!News, July 9).