G8 deplores Iran post-election violence
TRIESTE, Italy (Reuters) - Group of Eight powers deplored post-election violence in Iran Friday and called on Tehran to resolve the crisis over the disputed poll soon through democratic dialogue.
G8 foreign ministers also called on the Iranian government to "guarantee that the will of the Iranian people is reflected in the electoral process," according to a final draft statement seen by Reuters as the ministers ended their meeting in the northern Italian port city of Trieste.
"We deplore post-electoral violence which led to the loss of lives of Iranian civilians and urge Iran to respect fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression," it said.
"The crisis should be settled soon through democratic dialogue and peaceful means."
"We are very concerned by these events of recent weeks," Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told a news conference.
"We have underlined the importance that the violence ends immediately and we've expressed our solidarity with the victims of this violence," he said.
The G8 statement is a compromise between countries wanting to send a tough message to Tehran over its handling of post-election protests and several countries including Russia anxious not to slam the door on possible talks with Iran over its nuclear program.
About 20 people have been killed in protests after Iran's June 12 presidential election, the worst unrest since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Official results handed hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a landslide victory. Defeated candidate Mirhossein Mousavi said the vote was rigged.
Iranian officials have accused two G8 members, the United States and Britain, of inciting the street protests, charges that they deny. The G8 also includes France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia.
DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION
The G8 said it remained committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the quarrel over Iran's nuclear program. It said it was deeply concerned over proliferation risks posed by the nuclear program and urged Iran to cooperate fully with the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog.
Tehran says it wants nuclear power to generate electricity. Western nations accuse it of seeking atomic weapons.
On Middle East peace, the G8 called on Israel and the Palestinians to "re-enter direct negotiations on all standing issues consistent with the road map."
The ministers called on both parties to fulfil their obligations under the road map, including a freeze in Jewish settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.
They also called for a freeze on "natural growth" of settlements, according to the final draft statement.
On North Korea, the ministers condemned "in the strongest terms the nuclear test conducted on 25 May in violation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1718 and the rocket launch of 5 April which constitute a threat to regional peace and stability."
The conference has shown up differences between Russia and other G8 nations on how to approach Iran. "No one is willing to condemn the election process, because it's an exercise in democracy," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters Thursday.
Diplomats had seen the June 25-27 Trieste meeting as a rare chance for the G8 to sit down with regional powers like Iran to discuss shared goals for Afghanistan and Pakistan. But Iran declined to answer Italy's invitation to attend.
Ministers from Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as other countries and organizations, will join the G8 ministers later on Friday to discuss a regional approach to the Afghan conflict.
The quartet of Middle East peace negotiators -- the United Nations, the United States, European Union and Russia -- will also meet Friday.
(Additional reporting by Roberto Landucci, writing by Adrian Croft; editing by Richard Williams)