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Foreign Secretary statement on E3+3 talks with Iran

UK, US, France, Germany, Russia and China agree to further talks with Iran about its nuclear programme.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Following Baroness Ashton’s announcement that the E3+3 (UK, US, France, Germany, Russia and China) have decided to resume talks with Iran on the nuclear issue, the Foreign Secretary said:

“The UK, US, France, Germany, Russia and China have carefully considered Iran’s latest response to Baroness Ashton. We all agree that the international community should demonstrate its commitment to a diplomatic solution by acknowledging Iran’s agreement to meet, by testing its desire to talk and by offering it the opportunity to respond to our legitimate concerns about its nuclear intentions. It is time for Iran to choose a different path and to show the world that it wants a peaceful, negotiated solution to the nuclear issue. It is for Iran to seize this opportunity and we urge it to do so.

“The onus will be on Iran to convince the international community that its nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful, by taking concrete actions. If it does so then we have always been ready to respond positively by offering assistance with the development of Iran’s civil nuclear power stations, and extending co-operation in other areas from political relations to economic development, as the E3+3 have consistently offered since 2008. Until those actions are taken we will not ease the international pressure on Iran.”

Published 6 March 2012