Region | Iran
EU leaders condemn violence in Iran
European Union leaders expressed dismay over the Iranian supreme leader's threat of a crackdown against protesters on Friday.
- AP
- Published: 18:37 June 19, 2009
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Brussels: European Union leaders expressed dismay over the Iranian supreme leader's threat of a crackdown against protesters on Friday.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he hoped Iran's leaders "don't do anything irreversible" that could further endanger the country's stability. "We support the Iranian people, and today the Iranian people are on the street," he said.
The 27 EU leaders were unanimous in condemning violence against Iran's opposition protesters, as hundreds of thousands there have rallied in recent days for a recount of presidential ballots.
Iran now must "show the world that the repression and the brutality that we've seen in these last few days is not something that is going to be repeated," British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told reporters after an EU summit in Brussels.
The massive street rallies in have posed the greatest challenge to the Iran's Islamic ruling system since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
On Friday, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the country's election had not been rigged to give hardline President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad a second term victory, and warned of a crackdown if the massive demonstrations continued.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Khamenei's speech "was rather disappointing," and she reiterated international calls for an official investigation into allegations of vote rigging.
Her foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said Khamenei "has not fulfilled the expectations" of the EU and others. "I am convinced this will not suffice to calm the situation in Iran and to avoid escalation."
Khamenei, in his speech on Friday, also singled out Britain as among the most treacherous of the Western powers, repeating frequent complaints about perceived meddling by Britain and others in Iran's affairs.
Britain's Foreign Office has asked the Iranian ambassador to explain Khamenei's criticism.
Brown said Britain would continue to speak out for human rights and against media restrictions.
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