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Iran unrest to dominate G8 talks Italy urges G8 firmness on Iran
(about 2 hours later)
Unrest in Iran is expected to dominate discussions between foreign ministers gathering in northern Italy to prepare for a G8 summit. Italy's foreign minister has said G8 countries will adopt a "tough" stance towards Iran over post-election unrest.
The future of Afghanistan had been the original focus of the talks in Trieste, but Iran's post-election violence has shifted the attention. Franco Frattini was speaking as G8 foreign minsters prepared to meet for three days of talks in northern Italy.
As a neighbour of Afghanistan, Iran had been invited to attend the meeting, along with other bordering countries. He said the international community had offered an "open hand" to Iran and G8 must now "be firm in its condemnation", Italy's Ansa news agency reported.
But Iran's foreign minister has said he has "no plans to travel to Italy". Iran was invited to the talks, which had been due to focus on Afghanistan, but is not now expected to attend.
The BBC's Duncan Kennedy in Rome says the Trieste talks would have offered a rare chance for G8 ministers to meet senior Iranian diplomats to discuss the country's controversial nuclear programme. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said earlier this week that he had "no plans to travel to Italy".
But protests by opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - who say he has unjustly claimed victory in the recent elections - have changed the agenda of the talks, says our correspondent. Mr Frattini said Iran was "at a turning point" following the post-election street clashes, in which at least 17 people have been killed.
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in protest and at least 17 people have died in clashes with riot police. ''It must choose whether or not to keep the door open to dialogue with the international community," he said.
Tehran says the protests are illegal and the election result is accurate - a stance which is expected to be condemned by some G8 members. "The hand extended by the United States, which we have supported, cannot come back with blood on it.
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini earlier met Iran's charge d'affaires in Rome to discuss Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki's absence from the talks, the AFP news agency quoted a ministry statement as saying. ''We will adopt a particularly tough and clear position."
'Future engagement'
At least 25 people are thought to have died in post-election violence
The three-day G8 Trieste summit is expected to address global security, nuclear non-proliferation, piracy and combating extremist violence.
Its primary focus was intended to be the stabilisation of Afghanistan so Iran, as a neighbouring country, had been invited to attend.
But the recent unrest in Iran, which is thought to have left at least 25 people dead, has changed the agenda of the talks, says the BBC's Duncan Kennedy in Rome.
Tehran, which will not attend the summit, says the protests are illegal and the election result is accurate.
The talks would have offered a rare chance for G8 ministers to meet senior Iranian diplomats to discuss the country's controversial nuclear programme, says our correspondent.
On Wednesday, Mr Frattini met Iran's charge d'affaires in Rome to discuss Mr Mottaki's absence from the talks, the AFP news agency quoted a ministry statement as saying.
Rome said it hoped that "in the future Iran will be able to engage in a profitable way in the process of regional stabilisation in Afghanistan".Rome said it hoped that "in the future Iran will be able to engage in a profitable way in the process of regional stabilisation in Afghanistan".