Asia

Home page

Asia

Merkel to Iran: â€œTime is running outâ€

27 January 2010 01:23 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Ziya Agazade â€“ APA. German Chancellor Angela Merkel ramped up the pressure on Iran Tuesday over its disputed nuclear programme, saying next month would be a critical time for the world community to decide on sanction, APA reports citing AFP.

Speaking after talks with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Merkel said that the theme of sanctions would be tackled in February when France holds the rotating chair of the United Nations Security Council.

"I think February will be the crucial month," Merkel said.

Asked whether Berlin would support a military solution to the dispute, Merkel replied: "Germany wants a diplomatic solution to this conflict and therefore we consider sanctions to be the next step."

Merkel said the sanctions should be agreed within the United Nations but "if China or Russia or other countries do not go along with the Security Council, then a group of like-minded countries should aim for the same result."

Asked whether it was possible to compare Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with Adolf Hitler, Merkel said: "The fact that the Iranian president has questioned Israel’s right to exist is completely unacceptable for a German chancellor."