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EU wants to take unilateral sanctions against Tehran: French FM

2010-03-15 08:09 BJT

HELSINKI, March 14 (Xinhua) -- EU countries could take unilateral measures to sanction Iran over its nuclear program should a vote on a UN resolution fail, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Sunday.

A UN resolution on new sanctions against Iran may not be ready until June, the foreign minister said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in northern Finland.

"And first we should devote our strength and time to getting a resolution in the UN Security Council and we're working on that," Kouchner said.

Asked by journalists whether there is a consensus within the EU for unilateral sanctions against Iran, Kouchner replied "roughly yes, but we have to talk about what kind of sanctions. "

On Saturday, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb indicated that there was a sufficient consensus within the EU to impose unilateral sanctions on Iran.

Western governments, particularly the United States and France, are seeking further sanctions against Tehran in the hope of stopping its nuclear drive, which they suspect may be aimed at acquiring atomic weapons.

Iran said that its nuclear program is for purely peaceful purposes.

 

Editor: Zhang Pengfei | Source: Xinhua