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Iran Focus
 London,
Feb. 15 – The European Union Presidency warned Iran that its decision to resume uranium
enrichment-related activities will “impact negatively” on EU-Iran ties.
Austria, which currently
holds the EU’s rotating Presidency, also condemned
hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s recent comments against Israel, in
which he called for the Jewish state to be “wiped of the map”.
In a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr
Mottaki on Tuesday, Austrian Foreign Minister
Ursula Plassnik confirmed that positive development
of EU-Iran relations depended on action by Tehran to effectively address all the EU's “areas of concern”.
Plassnik urged Iran to reverse its recent
resumption of uranium enrichment-related activities at its site in Natanz.
“We do not question Iran's
right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. However, the history
of Iran's
programme and the many unanswered questions have
raised serious doubts as to the exclusively peaceful nature of this programme. Iran's action to limit IAEA
access to her facilities is a further blow to international confidence”, she
said.
“The resumption by Iran
of enrichment-related activities will impact negatively on our overall
relationship”, Plassnik added.
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