AUSTRIAN EU PRESIDENCY URGES IRAN TO RETURN TO

UNCLAS VIENNA 001586

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR ISN, NEA, EUR/ERA, EUR/PGI AND EUR/AGS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV KNNP ETTC MNUC ENRG IR EUN AU
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN EU PRESIDENCY URGES IRAN TO RETURN TO
NEGOTIATIONS

REF: A) VIENNA 1563 B) STATE 87682


1. In her capacity as current President of the EU Council,
Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik issued a statement
on behalf of the EU urging Iran to return to the negotiating
table. Before the June 1 "P5 1" meeting in Vienna,
Plassnik met separately with Secretary of State Condoleeza
Rice, UK Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett and EU High
Representative Javier Solana. Plassnik said afterwards that
she hoped the international community would finalize an offer
that would bring Iran back into talks on a diplomatic
solution to the crisis over its nuclear program.


2. Text of the press release follows:

In the run-up to the EU-3 meeting (UK, France and Germany)
with the USA, Russia and China in Vienna, Foreign Minister
Ursula Plassnik, President of the Council, had talks on
Thursday with her counterparts from the USA and the UK,
Condoleezza Rice and Margaret Beckett, and High
Representative Javier Solana.

"We hope it will be possible today to finalize an offer from
the international community that will enable Iran to return
to the negotiating table. We are all working together on a
diplomatic solution," Plassnik stated.

She said the offer would contain economic and political
incentives and enable Iran to use nuclear energy exclusively
for peaceful purposes. "We have never denied Iran the right
to a nuclear program that exclusively serves the purpose of
generating energy. However, this requires Iran to restore
the necessary basis of trust and provide convincing
guarantees of the transparency and verifiability of its
program. We must have absolute certainty that the Iranian
nuclear program is not a weapons program," Plassnik stressed.

"Today is a day that will determine the future course of
relations between the international community and Iran. I
hope Iran will recognize the importance of these
international efforts and respond in an open-minded, positive
fashion. The international community is united on this
issue. We fully support the efforts of the EU-3. Iran
should grasp the hand extended to it and return to the
negotiating table," she continued. "This could also
facilitate the development of a perspective for the future
after decades of 'non-relations' between Iran and the USA."

Plassnik concluded by remarking that the fact this important
meeting had been held in Vienna once again highlighted the
role of the city as a headquarters of UN organizations, an
international meeting place and a center of dialogue.

(end text)

McCaw