HAMBURG (AFP) - More than 40 European and Asian countries on Tuesday urged Iran to stop uranium enrichment and negotiate a peaceful end to the international standoff over its nuclear program.
The Asia-Europe meeting (ASEM) of foreign ministers "expressed great concern and disappointment" over the findings of a report issued this month by the UN atomic watchdog warning that Iran could be three to eight years away from making nuclear weapons.
"The meeting urged Iran to comply with the requirements of (UN) resolution 1747 and to suspend its enrichment related activities," ministers from 43 nations meeting in Hamburg said in statement.
The ministers said Iran must actively cooperate with inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to prove its claims that the aims of its nuclear program are purely peaceful.