U.K FOREIGN SECRETARY MARGARET BECKETT
WELCOMES U.S.
ANNOUNCEMENT ON IRAN NUCLEAR ISSUE
U.K. FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
May 31, 2006
Today the Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett, said:
'I warmly welcome the United States' proposal to join Britain, France and Germany in any new negotiations. We are all striving to reach a diplomatic solution. The European side's goal is to present a serious and substantial offer of co-operation, which demonstrates to Iran the benefits that would flow from compliance with the IAEA's successive resolutions, rather than the further isolation which would result from their failure to do so. For this to be successful, we need the active support of other parties. The US offer will, therefore, give added weight to the proposals which Foreign Ministers will be discussing in Vienna tomorrow. I urge Iran to respond positively to this opportunity.'
In an earlier statement today, an FCO spokesman said:
'On 1 June the Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett, will meet with her French, German, US, Russian and Chinese colleagues in Vienna. They last met in New York on 8 May and since then their Political Directors met in London on 24 May. These were constructive and valuable discussions and we are encouraged by the progress made, reflecting shared international concern about Iran's nuclear programme and the important issues at stake.
'There are no current plans for a joint press conference in Vienna and we are not expecting any formal announcements after tomorrow's Ministerial meeting. However, we have provisional plans for the Foreign Secretary to comment to the media afterwards. FCO Press Office are co-ordinating these arrangements with the British Embassy in Vienna.'