The United States reiterated on Monday that it will not join the France,
Germany and Britain, or the EU-3, in talks with Iran aimed at pressuring the
country to suspend its uranium enrichment program.
"The EU-3 is comfortable with where things are in the sense that there is a
process that has been put in place, and that process should be able to lead to
the desired solution," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said at a
briefing.
Ereli argued that there is no suggestion that the process is soflawed that
the United States needs to jump into it.
"The reason we're at a standstill is not because the United States isn't in
negotiations, the reason we're at a standstill is because Iran is thumbing its
nose at the international community and rejecting the offers of the EU-3, and
rejecting the proposals of Russia, and moving with apparently great
determination to develop an enrichment capability," Ereli said.
The United States has voiced support for the EU talks with Iran, but voiced
no desire to join it.
The United States has insisted on referring Iran to the United Nations
Security Council for possible sanctions.
