Britain, France, Germany call for more Iran sanctionsSeptember 8, 2012 - 09:43 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Britain, France and Germany have urged the rest of the European Union to impose new sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program, according to BBC News. Germany Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Iran had showed no "constructive will" in talks and that urgent action was needed. His comments were echoed by his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius, and the UK's Foreign Secretary William Hague, following informal meetings in Cyprus. Iran is subject to a raft of sanctions. The United States and the EU have long suspected that Tehran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon, in contravention of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). But Iran has always denied any military motivation for the program, insisting it is for civilian purposes only and within the terms of the NPT. Speaking after three-way talks on the sidelines of an informal EU foreign ministers meeting in Paphos, Mr Westerwelle said new sanctions were necessary "and soon". "I can't see there is really a constructive will on the Iranian side for substantial talks," he said, referring to the last round of talks with the so-called P5+1 group of powers - which includes France, Germany, Britain, Russia, the United States and China. "If they will not come back to the table, then probably the next round is necessary. This is not something for next year, we are talking about next weeks," Westerwelle said. Hague said that the latest sanctions, which were imposed in July and bar Iranian oil exports to the EU and isolate it from international markets, have had a "serious impact" on the Islamic Republic. "It is necessary to increase the pressure on Iran, to intensify sanctions, to add further to the EU sanctions," he said. Fabius said diplomacy was at a standstill, and that ministers would discuss details of possible tighter sanctions over the next few days. Negotiations in Moscow in June stalled after Iran refused to scale back its uranium enrichment unless sanctions on its economy were eased, a proposal rejected by the P5+1. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |