The European Union will turn down an offer from Iran to tour its nuclear facilities, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said on Friday, Reuters reports.
"What I'll be saying is the role of the inspections of nuclear sites is for the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and I do hope Iran will insure that the IAEA is able to go and continue and fulfill its work," she told Reuters after talks with Hungarian Foreign Minister, Janos Martonyi.
Hungary, which holds the presidency of the EU for the next six months, had been invited by Iran in its European leadership role to visit some nuclear sites in the coming weeks.
Britain, France and Germany, among the six world powers involved in sporadic talks with Iran over its disputed uranium enrichment program, were not invited, and neither was the United States. Iran did invite Russia and China.
Western diplomats had said on Wednesday that the EU, Russia and China should reject Iran's invitation. They said Moscow and Beijing were being actively discouraged from going on the tour, as this could erode the united front of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members and Germany on Iran's nuclear dossier.
Ashton did not say whether she regarded Iran's move as an attempt to divide the group, known as the E3+3, but said the invitation would not hinder nuclear talks she is involved in with the Islamic Republic.
