'Stop Dallying'

Steinmeier Calls on Iran to Stop Playing for Time

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called on Iran to stop playing for time and come up with a "clear answer" to the latest offer from the West. Iran missed a Saturday deadline to respond to the offer which would see the UN freeze sanctions if Tehran halts its nuclear program.

AFP

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has urged Iran to stop playing for time and deliver a "clear answer" to an offer from Western powers over its nuclear program.

Iran missed an informal deadline on Saturday to respond to the offer from the United Nation Security Council's five permanent members, plus Germany, to hold off on tougher sanctions if Tehran freezes its uranium enrichment program.

In an interview with SPIEGEL, published on Saturday, Steinmeier appealed to Iran "to no longer play for time, but give us a usable answer to our offers -- stop dallying." He said that the Western powers had made a clear offer that deserved a "clear answer, and soon." "It would be negligent not to use the current opportunity," he said.

The minister warned that if Iran continues to delay then the Western powers would have increase the pressure with sanctions. "No one wants to keep going in that direction. But it is Tehran that holds the key."

The UN Security Council has already imposed three sets of sanctions on Iran. The West is concerned that the country is using its nuclear program to build nuclear weapons while Tehran insists it is developing atomic energy.

Western powers asked Iran on July 19 to respond to the latest offer within two weeks. On Saturday a European Union official told Reuters that Iran had missed the deadline but that diplomats were willing to wait a few more days for an answer. "One should not focus on the deadline too much," the official said. "What matters is that we get a clear answer quickly."

smd/ap/reuters/SPIEGEL