Japan’s FM Aso Urges Iran to Halt Uranium Enrichment

Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo

Tokyo, Feb. 19 Kyodo – Foreign Minister Taro Aso on Monday held talks by phone with his Iranian counterpart Manuchehr Mottaki and urged Iran to halt its uranium enrichment-related activities as “a step to restore international trust in Iran” and resolve the Iranian nuclear standoff, a Foreign Ministry official said.

The 40-minute telephone conversation took place after Japan’s Cabinet on Friday approved a set of measures to implement a UN Security Council sanctions resolution that bans trading with Iran in items that could contribute to its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Aso was quoted by the official as saying he finds it “regrettable that Iran continues not to make a positive response on the nuclear issue” and called on Iran to resolve the nuclear issue through the resolution.

Aso said Japan does not doubt that Iran has the right to peaceful use of nuclear power but that the problem here is the international community’s trust to Iran, the official said.

Iran needs to make all kinds of efforts to restore the trust, given that it pursued a clandestine nuclear programme for 18 years, the Japanese foreign minister told Mottaki.

In response, Mottaki said that Iran aims to resolve its nuclear issue through peaceful, diplomatic means but that the resolution does not contribute to resolving the issue, according to the official.

He also said there is a “need to prevent different kinds of problems that may arise due to pressure from a third party,” alluding to the United States, which is adopting a tough stance against Iran over the nuclear issue.

The Security Council resolution, adopted on Dec. 23, imposes trade sanctions on Iran for its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.

The Iranian nuclear issue came to light in 2002 through revelations by political dissidents. Iran announced in April last year that the country has successfully enriched uranium for the first time.

Iran insists its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes but some other countries, especially the United States, suspect it may be attempting to build nuclear weapons.

(c) 2007 BBC Monitoring Middle East. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.