Agreement with Iran is Important Step

Speaking on the agreement reached with Iran, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said on November 16 on the sidelines of his visit to Guatemala:

"On the basis of the Tehran Declaration of October 2003, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, supported by EU High Representative Javier Solana, reached an accord on November 15 with the Iranian government following intense negotiations.

This agreement is an important step in the effort to address the concerns of the international community regarding the Iranian nuclear program.  It opens the prospect of beginning a new chapter in the relations between Iran and the European Union as part of the desired long-term agreement.

It is now of critical importance that the agreement be fully implemented by both sides.  We expect that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will confirm at the meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors on Nov. 25, and in future further monitor, the voluntary suspension of all enrichment and reprocessing activities by Iran, in accordance with the agreement.

On the basis of this suspension, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, supported by EU High Representative Solana, will commence negotiations in December on a long-term agreement.  At the same time, we will continue to work together with our EU partners and coordinate within the G8.  In doing so, we will pursue a two-fold objective: First, we aim to achieve a long-term objective guarantee that the Iranian nuclear program is of an exclusively peaceful nature. At the same time, we want to achieve progress on a host of economic, technical, and political issues which will open the way to concrete cooperation and dialogue of benefit to both sides.

November 16, 2004

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