Germany is ready to impose more sanctions on Iran if the country does not open up its controversial nuclear programme to UN inspectors, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday, reported dpa.
"We are ready to adopt stricter sanctions: it's a must that we prevent Iran having nuclear weapons," Merkel told some 350 senior world politicians at the annual Munich Security Conference.
International efforts to bring Iran into line with UN rules on nuclear non-proliferation are a "litmus test" for the global community, she said.
And while she called on the European Union, of which Germany is the biggest member, to play a more active role in the global debate on nuclear and conventional disarmament, she stressed that the new US administration of President Barack Obama would be key to any deal.
"We want a diplomatic solution, there are offers on the table. The new US administration will tell us how they see this: we are ready to cooperate with you in pursuing this," she said.
On Friday at the conference, a number of top diplomats including the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, urged the global community to do more to fight nuclear proliferation.
But the influential speaker of Iran's parliament, Ali Larijani, retorted that it was up to Obama to change his policies towards the Islamic republic.
The administration of former US president George W Bush "burned many bridges. A new White House can rebuild them, but it requires new pragmatic strategies based on respect and fair play: the carrot and stick must be discarded," he said.
Merkel also called on the EU and NATO to create a joint security policy which includes military, political and civilian elements, and to cooperate with Russia on security and disarmament.