Iran General NewsMerkel, Sarkozy to discuss Iran after Bush visits

Merkel, Sarkozy to discuss Iran after Bush visits

-

Reuters: The leaders of Germany and France meet on Monday to compare notes on dealing with Iran’s nuclear programme, fresh from discussing tougher sanctions during separate visits to U.S. President George W. Bush last week. By Paul Carrel

BERLIN (Reuters) – The leaders of Germany and France meet on Monday to compare notes on dealing with Iran’s nuclear programme, fresh from discussing tougher sanctions during separate visits to U.S. President George W. Bush last week.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will host French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Berlin for the talks a week before an expected meeting of world powers to assess reports on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Merkel said after meeting Bush on Saturday that, if there was no sign of progress in talks with Iran, then “we need to think about further possible sanctions”. Sarkozy said after meeting Bush last Wednesday there was “a need to toughen the sanctions”.

The West accuses Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear weapon but Tehran says its nuclear programme is purely for the civilian purpose of generating electricity.

Bush alarmed some European allies last month when he said a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to World War Three. The Bush administration insists it is committed to pursuing diplomacy with Iran, but also says all options are on the table.

Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Russia and China are expected to meet on Nov. 19 to assess reports on Iran from European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and International Atomic Energy Agency head Mohamed ElBaradei.

“If the reports remain unsatisfactory … we need to think about further possible sanctions,” Merkel said on Saturday.

European integration will be high on the agenda at the latest round of regular Merkel-Sarkozy meetings. Although the two conservative leaders are united on many policy issues, the French leader’s combative style has grated on Berlin officials.

Merkel and Sarkozy will be joined by their full cabinets of ministers for the talks. The French and German foreign ministers will record a “rhythm and blues” song on European integration on the sidelines of the meeting.

Fun aside, the two countries will try to sort out their differences on financing for Europe’s planned satellite navigation system, Galileo, which aims to compete with the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS).

Germany has resisted agreeing to using European Union public funding to plug a hole in the project’s budget, largely because it wants a guarantee that German firms will get a major share of the work, building satellites and launchers.

Latest news

 Statistics show that New Year accidents’ deaths in Iran reached 585

Ahmad Shirani, the head of the Information and Traffic Control Center of the Iranian regime’s police, announced that the...

Land Subsidence in Critical Conditions in Isfahan

Mehdi Toghyani, a member of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament), pointed to the occurrence of land subsidence in various...

Iran’s Actual Inflation Rate Higher Than Official Stats

The state-run Donya-e-eqtesad newspaper, in a report analyzing the "general sentiment" regarding inflation in 2023, has stated that households...

Iranian Workers’ Monthly $136 Wages Can’t Cover $500 Expenses

The lives of a significant portion of the Iranian population are marked by uncertainty, largely because the Iranian economy...

Iranian Nurses Earn Twice Their Wages in Ride-Hailing Services

Reza Aryanpour, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) Health and Treatment Commission, highlighted the growing trend of nurses...

Iran: Unprecedented Record of 152 Million Liters of Gasoline Consumption Per Day

On March 19, Iran set a new historical record in gasoline consumption with 152 million liters consumed in one...

Must read

Interpol issues wanted notices for Iranians

Reuters: Interpol on Wednesday issued wanted notices for six...

Iran threatens to end nuclear treaty with EU

Iran Focus: Tehran, Mar. 04 – Iran today threatened...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you