By NNN-KUNA,
Washington : The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany will meet Wednesday to discuss taking action against Iran, the US State Department.
“If we don’t receive a clear message from them, we will have no choice but to pursue additional measure. The P5 plus one political directors have scheduled a conference call for tomorrow (Wednesday),” said State Department deputy spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos Tuesday, referring to senior officials from the five permanent UN Security Council members, the US, China, Russia, Britain, France, and Germany, who sat down to negotiations with Iran to dismantle its nuclear programme.
Representatives from the major powers shared a conference call on Monday to discuss taking new action, including adding sanctions, against Iran after Tehran missed the deadline to respond to a proposed incentives package that would cut sanctions and provide aid in exchange for halting uranium enrichment.
On Tuesday, the European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana received a written response from Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili to the nuclear offer, which is being studied by all the major powers, according to the US Department spokesman.
“Obviously we’re looking for a clear, positive response from Iran; and in the absence of that we’re going to have no choice but to pursue further measures against them as part of our dual-track strategy,” said Gallegos.
On July 19, Solana and Jalili held a one-day meeting to discuss Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme. During that meeting Iran refused to directly reply to the incentives package.
However, both Solana and Jalili described the meeting as positive and constructive and had promoted understanding of each other’s positions and they also agreed to talk again by phone or in person in about two weeks.
The US accuses Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons under the cover of a civil nuclear programme, a charge Tehran firmly denies.