Iran praises ‘constructive’ Germany in nuclear dispute
A top Iranian diplomat on Monday praised Germany’s “constructive” role in the international community’s dispute with Tehran over its controversial nuclear programme.
“We aren’t naive and we’re naturally aware that Germany is on the side of the European Union,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali-Reza Sheikh Attar told the German news agency DPA. “But the country has still repeatedly tried to keep differences from getting worse and has worked to solve them constructively.”
The 56-year-old diplomat, who is to be named Tehran’s ambassador to Berlin later this week, said Germany had had a reputation in Iran as being an honest broker in the dispute over its nuclear ambitions.
“Germany has always played the role of conflict solver and not agitator, and that has always been noticed here in Iran,” he said.
Germany, along with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, has tried to get Iran to comply with international pressure to halt its nuclear programme, or at least make it more transparent to UN inspectors. Although Tehran contends the programme is only of a civilian nature for energy, United States and its allies fear Iran wants to build nuclear weapons.
The German government earlier this month reiterated that its preference in the ongoing dispute remained to negotiate a settlement with Iran rather than pushing the UN to slap more sanctions on Tehran.
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“We aren’t naive and we’re naturally aware that Germany is on the side of the European Union,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali-Reza Sheikh Attar told the German news agency DPA. “But the country has still repeatedly tried to keep differences from getting worse and has worked to solve them constructively.”
The 56-year-old diplomat, who is to be named Tehran’s ambassador to Berlin later this week, said Germany had had a reputation in Iran as being an honest broker in the dispute over its nuclear ambitions.
“Germany has always played the role of conflict solver and not agitator, and that has always been noticed here in Iran,” he said.
Germany, along with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, has tried to get Iran to comply with international pressure to halt its nuclear programme, or at least make it more transparent to UN inspectors. Although Tehran contends the programme is only of a civilian nature for energy, United States and its allies fear Iran wants to build nuclear weapons.
The German government earlier this month reiterated that its preference in the ongoing dispute remained to negotiate a settlement with Iran rather than pushing the UN to slap more sanctions on Tehran.
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