US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said Iran can make a choice to come back to the negotiating table or face further isolation and sanctions from the international community. "Iran does have a choice to make. It can come back to the (negotiating) table, as we have consistently made clear to them, and address the nuclear programme concerns the international community rightly has, or face increasing pressure and isolation," Clinton said yesterday.
Clinton, however, at joint press conference with the German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle, underscored the US and its international partners do not seek conflict with Iran. "We strongly believe the people of Iran deserve a better future. The country can be reintegrated into the global community," she said.
Last October, Clinton said, on behalf of the EU plus three member nations, of which both Germany and the United States are members, High Representative Catherine Ashton did send the Iranians a letter saying that they are open to negotiations if Iran is serious about addressing the nuclear programme without preconditions. "We stand by that letter. The EU did make it public earlier on Saturday, and we await Iran's response," she said.
"I think it's been very important that the EU has kept this open channel. We all are seeking clarity about the meaning behind Iran's public statements that they are willing to engage," she said.
"With respect to what we expect of them, I think we've made the letter public. They know we want to see them coming to the table to seriously engage about the future of a programme that is prohibited under their obligations pursuant to the NPT and in light of Security Council resolutions. So we will await their response," she said.
"They have to give up their nuclear weapons programme...And they have to be willing to come to the table with a plan to do that," she said.
Underscoring that the letter is important because it underlines their dual-track strategy, the German Foreign Minister said that on the one hand, it is necessary to show the Iranian government that they are united and that do not accept any option for nuclear weapons in the hands of the Iranian government.
"But on the other hand, second, it is also necessary to show that we are ready for dialogue, but we are ready for serious dialogue and substantial talks on this. "Just to meet for show, that this meeting would be misused for propaganda, is not what we want to do. And therefore, I think this letter of Cathy Ashton is exactly expressing what our strategy is, not only in Europe, together," Westerwelle said. The German Foreign Minister informed Clinton about the discussions in the European Union on new sanctions. "The government in Tehran keeps violating its international obligations on the transparency of its nuclear programme. We have no choice but to pass tough new sanctions that address the financial sources of the nuclear programme," he said. "One thing is clear: The door for serious dialogue remains open. But the option of nuclear weapons in Iran is not acceptable to both of us. "I want to repeat what I've said to my colleague and friend in the last hour before. I think it is important for all of us to see that a nuclear option is not acceptable of Iran," he said.
