British calls for diplomatic walkout from Iran are rejected by EU partners

The Times ^ | 7/3/2009 | David Charter in Stockholm

[bruinbirdman]

British calls for a mass walkout of European Union ambassadors from Tehran were shot down by more cautious nations led by Germany and Italy yesterday as the carefully constructed European consensus on responding to Iran came under intense strain.

Britain, backed by the outgoing Czech presidency of the EU, had pushed for the dramatic step of a temporary withdrawal of ambassadors to pile pressure on Tehran to free local British Embassy staff from custody.

With the release of all but two of the nine staff by yesterday afternoon, the incoming Swedish presidency of the EU, which took the reins on Wednesday, struck a less aggressive diplomatic note, more in tune with Berlin and a number of other EU capitals.

Carl Bildt, Sweden’s Foreign Minister, said last night that the EU had called on Iran to release all the British Embassy employees, but added that the EU was still awaiting a response from Tehran. Suggesting that it was too early to recall the ambassadors, Mr Bildt said: “We are taking this step by step.”

Speaking after the first day of a two-day meeting of EU foreign policy officials in Stockholm, Mr Bildt said that the ball was in Iran’s court and that tough action could still be taken, although the EU wanted good relations with Tehran so that it could negotiate with it over its nuclear ambitions.

It was a marked change in tone from the Czech EU presidency, which has issued two strongly worded statements since the disputed Iranian elections nearly two weeks ago. In one, it called the Iranian claims of EU interference “baseless and unacceptable”. Confirming a split among the EU powers, Cecilia Malmstrom, the Swedish Europe Minister, told The Times: “We are listening, there are different views.”

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, said that instead of the

[RobbyS]

Bah! Instead of doing something, they decide to do nothing. Typisch. And our fearless leader would react the same way. Just like Carter. Even Carter eventually woke to the fact that Iran would not negotiate, but he refused to do the obvious thing which was to ask for a declaration of war.

[bethybabes69]

How can the EU core country walkout of Iran after the £Billions they've invested there for the future?
If Merkel did promote a walkout of Iran, it would be a token gesture without substance, and France would never try to undermine the Islamic Republic, after all, France was the Country that actively made it happen.

The future of the EU is intertwined with Iran, that can't be changed now after the massive investment from Germany in CLNG industries there.

[Son House]

and France would never try to undermine the Islamic Republic

.
the supplier to Iraq when American soldiers were fighting a war there. Their manufacturers of military arsenals should have been removed from the face of the earth to teach them not to supply an enemy while our Troops were at battle

[bethybabes69]

Honestly, the French are one Country I have no respect for, my FR postings about them hide no punches, Individual people aside, I don't like the attitude, or pretty much anything else about the French culture.

I listened to my Grandpa, a WW2 Polish Veteran tell me stories why the French were cowards, and then watched them as a Child protect Khomeini, assist in a coup d'état usurping the Shah, support the Iranian regime in the taking of American hostages in Tehran, my mind was made up, they're a Country built on the mentality of being spineless, two faced, backstabbing cowards, and that's an opinion that's stuck with me since, as I've never seen anything to counteract it.

The livery on the tail of the 747 landing in Tehran containing Ayatollah Khomeini after the 1979 coup d'état speaks a thousand words as to what the French stand for.

[RoadTest]

European Union, Communists, Muslims, New World Order - - - yup - that figures.