Danish FM: Major breakthrough in EU-Iran human rights dialogue

  
 

 

  
 

 

  
     
           Luxembourg, Oct 22, IRNA -- EU foreign ministers decided Monday not to criticize the human rights situation in Iran in the upcoming UN General Assembly's third committee, but instead to begin a dialogue.
         "The EU wants the critical dialogue with Iran to give results.
         There is no precondition, which means we can do what we wish," Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller told a press conference Monday evening in Luxembourg after the meeting of the EU foreign ministers.
         "I hope that this can help bring about concrete improvements in the respect for human rights in Iran. This constitutes a major breakthrough for the EU's human rights dialogue," he said.
         "The EU wants to help the reformists in Iran. They are the majority in the country. So we will give dialogue a chance. That is why we will not table a resolution," added Moeller, whose country holds the current EU Presidency.
         The EU every year had been tabling a resolution in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and also in the UN Council for Human Rights, criticizing the human rights situation in Iran.
         On his part, EU Commissioner for external relations, Chris Patten announced in the same press conference that the first round of the human rights dialogue between the EU and Iran will begin in Tehran in December.
         Patten said he hoped that the announced visit of the UN rapporteur on human rights to Iran will materialize over the coming months.
         Moeller said the Council has decided to launch a human rights dialogue with Iran as an integrated part of the trade agreement and the comprehensive political dialogue.
         The two sides have stressed that EU and Iran will enter into the dialogue with no pre-conditions. The purpose of the dialogue is to achieve concrete progress on the ground and the Council will assess the results on a regular basis on the basis of fixed benchmarks, added Moeller.
         Asked what would be the EU's position if another country, such as the US, might table a resolution in the UNGA on human rights in Iran, Moeller replied that "the EU will assess the situation when and if this happens".

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