13 September 2004

BRUSSELS - European Union foreign ministers Monday urged Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment activities, saying Tehran could face a "serious situation" if it continued to defy the international community.

"We think Iran has to do everything to fulfil the agreement reached with France, Britain and Germany (on disbanding its nuclear plans) ... It is in its own interest," German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer told reporters at an EU meeting in Brussels.

Fischer cautioned Iran against "miscalculating" the international reaction to its nuclear ambitions, adding: "I hope they realise this and come back to the agreement. Otherwise there will be a very serious situation."

"If you want to build a nuclear plan for electricity production, you do not need what Iran is looking for," Fischer added.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw warned that the EU wanted a "full suspension of Iran's uranium enrichment activities, saying such operations could not be turned "on and off like a tap."

The two ministers made their comments as the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) started considering a draft resolution on Iran drawn up by France, Britain and Germany.

Diplomats said the draft set a November deadline for Iran to comply with IAEA demands but did not include a so-called "automatic trigger" that would send Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

DPA

Subject: German news