Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) has expressed his skepticism about a positive conclusion to the nuclear deal with Iran. “The signs are bad at the moment,” Schallenberg said Monday during a meeting with his EU colleagues in Luxembourg. “98 percent of the deal is there, but one might now get the impression that Tehran lacks the political will to close it.” He sees no connection with the new sanctions against Iran and the revival of the deal.
The “doubts are justified, but I would not accept the appropriate response from the European Union now to the brutal suppression of civilian protests in Iran, to the nuclear deal,” stressed Schallenberg. In his estimation, the will of the West for a positive conclusion of the deal is given. “It is better to have a mediocre or worse agreement than no agreement at all, that is clearly my maxim,” said the foreign minister.
Sanctions as a “political signal”
“It was clear we couldn’t get a response,” Schallenberg said in response to the new EU sanctions against Iran. Diplomats say the planned sanctions target people and organizations held responsible for the recent crackdown on protests in the country. The sanctions are a “clear political signal that we do not appreciate the way the moral guards and the Revolutionary Guards are acting,” Schallenberg said.
At today’s meeting, EU foreign ministers also want to launch a military training mission for Ukrainian soldiers in the EU. “We support this mission, we will also vote for it, but participation is not planned at the moment,” emphasized Schallenberg. But he doesn’t rule out anything for the future.
Austria is not part of Ukraine training mission
In addition, it must be decided to allocate another EUR 500 million to the purchase of weapons and equipment. Due to its neutrality, Austria would abstain “constructively”, Schallenberg explains. However, Kiev will be supported with non-lethal gear, such as winter clothing. There is a “constant flow of aid from Austria to Ukraine and it certainly will not stop,” he added.
Schallenberg calls for “strategic nerves of steel and patience” when it comes to sanctions against Russia. Some states are already pushing for new sanctions. “Let’s make the sanctions work, because they work, and let’s not give the public the impression that you have to keep adding new sanctions to have an effect,” said the foreign minister.
Source: Krone
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