Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 16 July 2019
EU works to save unraveling nuclear agreement with Iran

By RAF CASERT been arrested in Iran.
BRUSSELS (AP) — European It said the French govern-
Union nations threw their ment was seeking informa-
diplomatic weight behind tion about Fariba Adelkhah
the unraveling Iran nuclear and consular access to her
deal on Monday, trying to "without delay" but added
rescue the pact from col- there has been "no satis-
lapsing under U.S. pressure. factory response to its de-
The 28 EU foreign ministers mands as of today."
insisted that recent Iranian Iranian opposition websites
actions surpassing uranium based abroad have said
enrichment thresholds set Abdelkhah disappeared in
by the 2015 deal did not June.
necessarily condemn the And while the EU nations
whole agreement. were looking to deesca-
"We note that technical- late tensions in the Persian
ly all the steps that have Gulf region, they also put
been taken — and that we the blame on the Trump
regret have been taken — administration for quitting
are reversible. So we hope the deal last year, impos-
and we invite Iran to re- ing sanctions and trying
verse the steps," said EU for- European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, left, talks to Spain's Foreign Minister Jo- to keep European nations
eign policy chief Federica sep Borrell during a European Foreign Affairs meeting at the European Council headquarters in from trading with Iran.
Mogherini. Brussels, Monday, July 15, 2019. French Foreign Minister
"The deviations are not sig- Associated Press Jean-Yves Le Drian said
nificant enough to think that Iran's recent moves to
that Iran has definitively ting U.S. economic sanc- a good year away" from many and the rest of the EU surpass mutually agreed
broken the agreement," tions against Tehran that potentially developing a held out a helping hand to limits from the deal were
said Spanish Foreign Minis- have crippled the country's nuclear bomb, British For- Iran, the diplomatic puzzle only "a bad reaction fol-
ter Josep Borrell, who is in economy, and the bloc eign Secretary Jeremy Hunt was made more difficult lowing a bad decision —
line to succeed Mogherini faces U.S. threats to target said there was still a "small Monday when France's which was the U.S. decision
this fall. any EU companies that at- window to keep the deal foreign ministry said a re- to withdraw from the ac-
The EU currently has few tempt to trade with Iran. alive." searcher with dual French- cord and put sanctions into
direct measures for offset- Noting that Iran was "still Even if Britain, France, Ger- Iranian nationality had place."q

France's Macron vows to help restart Serbia-Kosovo talks

By JOVANA GEC Vucic. "Our commitment is
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — the reflection of a Europe-
French President Emmanu- an sovereignty in which we
el Macron vowed Monday believe and that will stand
to help jumpstart stalled by your side."
negotiations to resolve Ser- Serbia has officially been
bia's independence dis- on the path to becoming
pute with former province an EU member since 2008.
Kosovo so a lasting solution The country also maintains
can be found for the de- close ties with Russia and
cades-long Balkan crisis. China, whose mounting in-
Macron, making the first fluence in the Balkans has
visit to Serbia by a French raised Western concerns.
president since 2001, also Macron urged Belgrade to
expressed support for the keep making the reforms it
country's stated goal of needs for EU membership,
joining the European Union saying Serbia's candidacy
even as he reiterated his could progress in parallel to
belief that the EU must the EU's own improvement
adopt reforms before add- process.
ing more members. "It's a process that's been
His two-day trip was intend- started but it must be kept
ed to rebuild relations be- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron walks away in check on both sides,"
tween Serbia and France. from the Gratitude to France WWI monument during a wreath laying ceremony in Belgrade, Ser- he said. "I think it's a good
Their historically close ties bia, Monday, July 15, 2019. thing."
were damaged when Associated Press Serbia's president said a
NATO forces bombed Ser- compromise in the Kosovo
bia in 1999 over the coun- the EU has set normalized Macron said France and "Whoever believes in Eu- dispute was "the only pos-
try's actions in Kosovo and relations between the two Europe would get more rope cannot accept the in- sible solution."
by France's recognition of countries as a condition engaged in facilitating an evitability of never-ending "I urged France to help us
Kosovo's 2008 declaration for advancing to EU mem- end to the bitter rift, which and inextricable conflicts in on our European road and
of independence. bership. But talks mediated stems from the bloody Europe," Macron said at a in solving the Kosovo crisis,"
Serbia does not recognize by EU officials have been breakup of the former Yu- news conference with Ser- Vucic said of his meeting
Kosovo as a country. But stalled for months. goslavia during the 1990s. bian President Aleksandar with Macron.q