GERMANY:Foreign ministers from the Group of Eight (G8) industrial nations have warned Iran that "further appropriate measures" will follow if it continues to ignore UN calls to halt uranium enrichment.
Ahead of next week's G8 summit, the ministers met to tie up foreign policy loose ends in Potsdam's Cecilienhof palace, where, in July 1945, the Allies discussed rebuilding the defeated Germany. But at a concluding press conference yesterday, disagreement over the future status of Kosovo overshadowed agreement on a security initiative for the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and the show of unity on Iran.
"If Iran continues to ignore demands of the security council, we will support further appropriate measures as agreed in Resolution 1747," said the statement, expressing "deep regret" that Iran had ignored a 60-day deadline giving it until last week to halt enrichment work.
German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that, far from winding down its nuclear activities, Iran had stepped up technical upgrades for an enlarged uranium enrichment programme.
"Sadly [ Tehran] has still not declared itself ready to answer the outstanding questions of the international atomic authorities or to suspend work even just for long enough to allow necessary talks to take place," he said.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani dismissed the statement - and its threat of sanctions behind the diplomatic language - ahead of talks in Madrid today with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
"Suspension is not a solution to Iran's nuclear issue . . . Iran cannot accept suspension," he said, calling for talks "without preconditions".
US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said new penalties against Tehran were needed, a year after western countries offered a package of economic incentives if it stopped enriching uranium they fear will end up in nuclear weapons. Tehran says it is exercising its right to create enriched uranium for energy production.
Dr Rice said it would be a "very big mistake" to relax the suspension demand, as suggested by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei. He said the Iranian uranium enrichment programme was too far advanced to expect a full suspension and that western countries should concentrate instead on preventing Tehran producing on an industrial scale.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers admitted they had failed to resolve disagreements over the status of Kosovo ahead of next week's G8 summit.
Moscow says that a UN report calling for independence for the breakaway Serb province under international control is unacceptable without Belgrade's consent.
"The fate of Serbia, the fate of Kosovo should not be decided in New York or in Potsdam but only through direct negotiations between the two sides," said Russian foreign minister Sergej Lawrow.
After meeting the Pakistani and Afghan foreign ministers, Mr Steinmeier urged the two to intensify discussions to resolve disputes over border security. The ministers signed a declaration promising greater G8 assistance in the border region.