EU seeks unity on response to Iran

European Union governments are considering how best to show unity behind Britain's protest of the detention of embassy staff in Tehran without provoking the Iranian regime.

Diplomats are currently discussing the possibility of withdrawing their ambassadors from Iran, but no collective decision has been reached.

Sweden took over the EU presidency today, and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said the bloc must balance the importance of having a unified response from the 27 member states while avoiding making "an excuse for the use of violence or the use of repression inside Iran."

Reinfeldt dismissed as "completely unfounded" Tehran's accusations that at least one U.K. embassy employee had helped to instigate post-election riots.

Reinfeldt said that while he didn't want to polarize Iran, whether that happens was really up to Tehran. "We hope the Iranian leadership will make the right choice and introduce reforms rather than create conflicts between Iran and the outside world,” Reinfeldt said, refusing to speculate on the likelihood of the ambassador recall.

http://www.globalpost.com/notebook/europe/090701/eu-seeks-unity-response-iran