Iran Wants EU Backing to Join WTO

TEHRAN, 12 December 2004 — Tehran wants the European Union to back Iran’s bid to join the World Trade Organization, and help resist US opposition, the students’ news agency ISNA reported yesterday.

“The EU, especially Britain, France, Germany and Italy, could prepare grounds to modify the United States opposition to Iran’s WTO membership,” Deputy Trade Minister Mojtaba Khosrowtaj told ISNA. In return for suspension of uranium enrichment, the EU had promised Iran to get the Islamic state into the WTO and finalize the Iran-EU trade and cooperation agreement.

State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said last Tuesday that the United States would support the applications of Afghanistan and Iraq for WTO membership but there has been no consensus yet on Iran.

The EU three will hold talks with Iran on Monday in Brussels on nuclear issues as well as trade and security agreements signed earlier December with the Teheran administration.

Khosrowtaj said Iran-EU trade already forms 30 percent of Iran’s foreign trade volume and finalization of the bilateral trade pact would further expand business.