Statement on Iran's Nuclear Program

Text released by the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Statement by the U.K. Foreign Secretary on behalf of the Foreign Ministers of China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union.
London, 6 October 2006.

When we met in Vienna on 1 June, we agreed a far-reaching set of proposals that aimed to address international concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme and to provide the basis for long-term political and economic cooperation with Iran.

Our proposals would give Iran everything it needs to develop a modern civil nuclear power industry and allow the Iranian people to enjoy the benefits of nuclear energy, through a long-term agreement which would satisfy the international community that Iran’s programme was exclusively for peaceful purposes.

Following the meeting in Vienna, and our subsequent meeting in Paris on 12 July, and, Iran’s response of 22 August, Javier Solana has on our behalf had extensive discussions with the Iranian representative Dr Ali Larijani to try to agree a framework for negotiations.

Today we met to review the situation. We commend Javier Solana for his tireless efforts to find a way forward, but we are deeply disappointed that he has had to report that Iran is not prepared to suspend its enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, as required by the IAEA Board and made mandatory in Security Council Resolution 1696. Accordingly, we will now consult on measures under Article 41 of Chapter VII of the UN Charter, as envisaged in that Resolution.

In Vienna, we said there were two paths ahead. We regret that Iran has not yet taken the positive one. We will continue our efforts to find a negotiated solution. Our proposals of 1 June remain on the table.