EU Foreign Ministers Call For More Diplomacy With Iran

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22 July 2008

European Foreign Ministers have called for diplomacy rather than amilitary option to prod Iran to abandon its nuclear activities, despitelack of progress in talks with Iranian officials in Geneva. LisaBryant has more from Paris.

European Union ministers remainedadamant Tuesday that talks were the only way to solve the impasse overIran's nuclear program. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband toldthe Associated Press that it is now up to Iran to respond to worldpowers following a meeting Saturday in Geneva between Iran on the oneside, and the United States, European, Chinese, Russian and otherdiplomats on the other.

That meeting appeared to go nowhere,with Iranian diplomats reportedly steadfast in the pursuit of theirnuclear program which they insist is for peaceful purposes.  TheUnited States and a number of European nations, believe Iran might bebuilding a nuclear weapon.

At a press conference in BrusselsTuesday, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the door fordialogue with Iran remained open.  

He said he awaited aresponse from the Iranian government with optimism. Then, he said, itwas important to start tackling what he described as a "second phase"in negotiations.

EU ministers also agreed to toughen sanctions against Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe.