EU deputies snub U.S. senators with planned Iran trip

TEHRAN,Oct.24(MNA) - A group of center-Left European Union parliament deputies, spearheaded by Finland’s Green Party member Tarja Cronberg, rejected on Monday an appeal from two U.S. Democratic senators calling on the EU politicians to cancel their trip to Iran, which is slated for Saturday, according to the Jerusalem post. Satu Helin, the spokeswoman for the EU parliament, told the Jerusalem Post on Monday during a telephone interview that the EU politicians are leaning toward traveling to Tehran. Nevertheless, it is still “unclear” if the visit will move forward, she said, noting that a decision will be made on Monday evening or Tuesday. According to Helin, the left-wing deputies are working to create “balance” and convince their conservative members to take part in the trip. “Sending a delegation to Iran for a seven-day visit sends the wrong message at this particularly sensitive time,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) wrote in a letter sent on Wednesday to the EU. A total of 15 European Union parliamentarians from six countries are planning to visit Tehran on October 27 for a six-day visit. “Let me stress that the delegation’s agenda is fully in line with the EU’s twin-track approach to Iran of both sanctions and dialogue and has been established in close cooperation with the European External Action Service (EEAS),” Helin told the Jerusalem Post via email. Helin added, “This twin-track approach was repeated in the council’s conclusions on October 15, which said, ‘The council reaffirms the longstanding commitment of the European Union to work for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue in accordance with the dual track approach.’” According to the report, the EU politicians are slated to meet Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former president of Iran.