Britain Presses Iran To Tackle Nuclear Concerns After Vote

Khaleej Times Online:

Britain pressed Iran on Saturday to take quick steps to address mounting concerns over its suspect nuclear program, following the victory of hardliner Mahmood Ahmedinejad in the presidential elections, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said.

“I hope that under Mr Ahmedinejad’s presidency, Iran will take early steps to address international concerns about its nuclear programme” as well as its policies toward terrorism, human rights and the Middle East peace process, Straw said in a statement. READ MORE

“We will work hard with our EU partners and bilaterally, to encourage action by Iran in these areas,” Straw added.

The British foreign secretary also noted there were “serious deficiencies” in the election process which fell short of international standards, including charges of interference by security forces.

“Many candidates, including all the women, were barred from standing by an unelected body,” Straw said, noting that many more potential candidates were deterred by election procedures.

The Iranian people “should be able to vote for candidates who hold the full range of political views, not just candidates selected for them,” he said.