Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle met Manouchehr Mottaki, his Iranian counterpart, on the fringes of the Munich Security Conference.

Federal Minister Westerwelle emphasized the concerns of the German government and of the international community in general about Iran’s continuing refusal to cooperate. The clear requirements imposed by the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency had to be met and the remaining questions surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme had to be answered, he stated. In this regard, he went on, Iran would be judged not by non-committal remarks but by deeds.

Federal Minister Westerwelle expressly referred to the human rights situation in Iran, about which Germany and its European partners were concerned.