Solana aide sees limits to EU sanctions on Iran

[maddezmom]

BRUSSELS, March 1 (Reuters) - An aide to European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Thursday there were limits to how far some EU states would go in tightening sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme.

Annalisa Giannella, Solana's personal representative on non-proliferation and weapons of mass destruction, told a European Parliament committee EU sanctions were already tougher than those agreed by the United Nations Security Council.

She said EU member states would implement them faithfully and tighten them if Tehran refused to halt a uranium enrichment programme the West says is aimed at producing an atomic bomb.
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EU leaders have resisted due to a lack of legal mechanisms, hefty stakes in what they see as legitimate business with Iran, and some misgivings about a U.S. policy to rapidly isolate rather than negotiate with Tehran, a major oil exporter.

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