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EU dismisses FT report on Iran as "misleading"

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Brussels, Feb 13, IRNA
EU-Iran-FT
A senior European Union official dismissed Tuesday a front-page report on Iran in the leading European daily Financial Times (FT) as giving a "misleading impression.'' The FT published Tuesday a front-page report titled "Too late to halt Iran's N-bomb," quoting an EU document which it alleged was compiled by the staff of EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

The 3-page "reflection paper" is an internal EU document prepared by officials and it was neither discussed nor endorsed at the political level, said the official speaking on condition of anonymity.

It reflects the views of only those who wrote it, said the official noting that "what matters in the EU is the collective view of all (27) members of the Council and those found in Council conclusions not in internal documents."

The EU paper is not only about nuclear issues, it covers a whole range of relations with Iran.

"The story in the Financial Time and in particular the headline gives a misleading impression," stressed the official.

The overall message of the paper is that the EU was pursuing a two -track approach towards Iran, "we should be ready to talk to the Iranians and should also be ready to apply disincentive measures." The paper does not say and does not imply "too late to halt Iran's N-bomb". Nor is the message of the paper that negotiations are useless. Rather on the contrary, said the EU official.

The paper concludes by asking questions how one could go back to negotiations with Iran, added the official.

But analysts here are asking why and who leaked the paper to the FT only a day after some positive statements were made by EU officials on Iran following the EU foreign ministers meeting on Monday.

"We want very much to get a signal to the people and authorities of Iran that we are open to have a negotiated solution," Solana told reporters Monday evening.

He described his talks with Iran's nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani in Munich on Sunday as "constructive."

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier speaking at a press conference in Brussels Monday said "we want a solution and will take any possible opportunities to reach that objective. We want Iran to make it possible to go back to the negotiating table."
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