Friday, June 02, 2006

Britain rules out force against Iran

The Guardian

Military force is not on the agenda in the international impasse over Iran's uranium enrichment programme, Britain said today. The comment from the Foreign Office followed last night's agreement in Vienna on a package of proposals to be presented to Iran. The five permanent members of the UN security council and Germany signed off on a package of carrots and sticks in the latest initiative to break the diplomatic deadlock over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Last night's package is expected to be presented to Tehran within the next few weeks by the EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana. Details of the package have not been made public but the Foreign Office today issued a categorical statement ruling out the use of force. "All parties are committed to a diplomatic solution," the statement said. "The use of military force was not discussed at all last night. This reflects the fact that military force is not on the agenda."

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