Visit of President Bush to the United Kingdom
June 2008

Documents & Texts from America.gov

10 June 2008
Bush, European Leaders Support Additional Iran Sanctions

By Merle Kellerhals
Staff Writer

Washington -- European leaders at the U.S.-EU Summit in Slovenia have agreed to a proposal to consider expanded sanctions on Iran, including greater restrictions on its banking industry, in an effort to restrain Iran's nuclear development program.

"A group of countries can send a clear message to the Iranians, and that is: We're going to continue to isolate you. ... We'll find new sanctions if need be, if you continue to deny the just demands of the free world, which is to give up your enrichment program," President Bush said at a post-summit press briefing. "Now is the time for there to be strong diplomacy."

A joint statement issued June 10 after the three-hour meeting at the Brdo Castle in Kranj, Slovenia, urged Iran "to comply with its international obligations concerning its nuclear activities, including the full and verifiable suspension of enrichment and full cooperation with the [International Atomic Energy Agency]."

European Union foreign policy minister Javier Solana is traveling to Tehran June 14-15 to offer Iran new incentives from the EU3-plus-3, referring to Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia, the United States and the European Union's high representative. The leaders' joint statement said they would seek greater sanctions from the U.N. Security Council if Iranian leaders do not permit a full inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency and disclose all of its nuclear weapons-related development. Iran is also under criticism for failing to comply with three previous sets of U.N.-imposed sanctions.

The joint statement said the nations would take steps to ensure Iranian banks could not abuse the international banking system to support weapons proliferation and terrorism. "We call upon the government of Iran to cooperate in the fight against terrorism," the statement said.

The statement endorses a dual-track strategy of offering incentives and the threat of additional economic sanctions. It also stated that the leaders believe a "negotiated solution remains open to Iran."

Bush said he hoped to "leave behind a multilateral framework to resolve this issue" after he leaves office next January. He said Iran "can't be trusted with [uranium] enrichment."

"Iran with a nuclear weapon would be incredibly dangerous for world peace. And so we've got to continue to work together to make it clear, abundantly clear to them, that it's their choice to make," Bush said.

On climate change, Bush said he thinks "we can actually get an agreement on global climate change during my presidency." But he stressed that no global agreement can be effective without including major developing industrialized economies such as China and India. The Group of Eight major economies meet in Japan next month and are expected to include an outline of a climate change agreement that can be accepted.

The summit in Slovenia was Bush's eighth and final meeting with leaders from the 27-nation European Union. He arrived in Slovenia at the beginning of a European trip that will take him to Berlin, Rome, the Vatican, Paris, London, and Belfast, Northern Ireland. He will help celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of post-World War II Europe and the Berlin airlift in the early years of the Cold War.

In Paris, Bush will participate in the International Conference in Support of Afghanistan. (See "Paris Conference to Showcase Afghanistan’s Progress.")

The summit declaration also addressed:

• Meetings of the neighboring countries of Iraq and the International Compact with Iraq, and acknowledged the importance of these ongoing processes.

• A long-term commitment to the stabilization and development of a democratic Afghanistan.

• Progress in Pakistan toward a lasting democratic transition.

• Continued constructive work with Russia on major regional and global issues. "We encourage Russia to meet its international commitments on human rights and democratic development, including in the Council of Europe and the [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]."

• Continuing efforts by Ukraine, Georgia and Macedonia to meet European standards and reform goals.

The Transatlantic Economic Council, which was formed in 2007 to promote economic cooperation in areas such as regulatory and accounting practices, issued a report at the summit that committed the members to removing barriers to trans-Atlantic commerce; reforming and reducing regulation of the private sector; achieving greater regulatory cooperation; fostering greater economic integration; and improving regulatory cooperation between the European Commission and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

The full text of the summit declaration is available on America.gov.

back to top ^