Protest by Iranians from National Council of Resistance of Iran

(15 Oct 2007)
1. Wide of Iranian protesters outside the EU Council building (where EU foreign ministers are meeting), carrying Iranian flags and banners
2. Protesters holding banner reading (French): "Iranian resistance supports European Union sanctions against the mullah regime and its efforts to obtain the atomic bomb"; UPSOUND: cheering
3. Protester shouting slogan in Farsi
4. Protesters shouting UPSOUND: "Sanctions, sanctions, sanctions"
5. Various of flags and sign reading (French): "Yes to European Union sanctions"
6. Protesters shouting UPSOUND: "No, no, no"
7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Firouz Mahvi, member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran:
"The EU should really follow a very firm policy towards Iran and stop this appeasement policy which has been going on for many years. And I think they should follow what the French especially have called for, for economic sanctions and that's what many Iranians are calling inside and outside Iran. They feel it that's the best way towards having a democratic system in Iran."
8. Various of protesters with flags and posters
STORYLINE:
Demonstrators from an Iranian opposition movement, gathered in a peaceful protest on Monday outside the European Union Council's building in Luxembourg, where EU foreign ministers were meeting to discuss further sanctions against Iran's nuclear enrichment programme.
About 50 protesters from the National Council of Resistance of Iran, held Iranian flags and banners supporting the European Union's approach against the "mullah regime and its efforts to obtain the atomic bomb".
"The EU should really follow a very firm policy towards Iran and stop this appeasement policy which has been going on for many years,"said Firouz Mahvi, member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
"I think they should follow what the French especially have called for, for economic sanctions and that's what many Iranians are calling inside and outside Iran. They feel it is the best way towards having a democratic system in Iran," Mahvi added.
The meeting of EU foreign ministers, held during the General and Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg, was to warn Tehran that time was running out and that it had to cooperate with the United Nations resolutions calling for it to suspend enrichment.
Diplomats said EU governments were to warn Iran of further appropriate measures if it failed to cooperate, notably new economic and political sanctions that could include investment bans, or scrapping export credit guarantees.
The approach is being championed by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who called on his EU counterparts last week to study fresh sanctions.
The EU, the United States and others are concerned Iran's nuclear programme may be geared toward creating fissile material for nuclear warheads.
Iran says its programme is strictly for producing radioactive fuel for nuclear power plants.
In a draft of a statement to be issued by the EU ministers later on Monday, they said the EU regretted Iran had not complied with the unanimous call of the international community to suspend all enrichment-related activity and had not accepted the offer of negotiation.
The draft reiterated that Iran should work closely with the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
He and IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei are to report in mid-November to the Security Council on whether Tehran has cooperated.
Solana said last week that Iran had to show progress in international negotiations or risk new sanctions by the end of the year.

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