G8 ministers in talks

"We are concerned about the aftermath of the Iranian presidential election," the ministers from the world's richest group of nations said in a statement.

"We fully respect the sovereignty of Iran. At the same time we deplore post-election violence which led to the loss of lives of Iranian civilians and urge Iran to respect fundamental human rights."

The G8 statement further urged the Iranian government to "guarantee that the will of the Iranian people is reflected in the electoral process." The statement did not cast doubt on the election or call for a re-count.

Tehran responded to the statement saying it was interfering and hasty.

The French Foreign Minister Bernar Kouchner admitted that the final declaration was a compromise between the more conciliatory Russian position and the tougher European Union stand.

"It's obvious that we were not in agreement on the situation in Iran," Kouchner said. "We are united on the nuclear issue and that's positive."

The G8 ministers criticized North Korea's nuclear and missile tests and urged the reclusive nation to return to the negotiating table.

Afghan elections and drug policy

The ministers stressed that the presidential elections in Afgahnistan scheduled for August should be fair, credible and peaceful.

"The group emphasized the importance of credible, inclusive and secure elections that reflect the will of the Afghan people," said a statement from the group of 20 countries and organizations known as the Afghanistan-Pakistan international support group.

Another topic of discussion at the meetings in Trieste was the Afghan drug eradication issue. The US envoy to the region Richard Holbrooke said that the previous eradication efforts had been largely unsuccessful.

"The Western policies against the opium crop, the poppy crop, have been a failure," Holbrooke told Reuters. "They did not result in any damage to the Taliban, but they put farmers out of work."

"We are not going to support crop eradication. We're going to phase it out," he said adding that the emphasis from now on would be on intercepting the drugs and the chemicals needed to make them and going after drug lords.

The peace process

The meetings in Trieste were originally set to focus on Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East peace process, but the crisis in Iran topped the agenda.

In a statement concerning the peace process, the ministers called on Israel to halt building Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories, saying that it is one of the key elements in reviving the efforts toward peace in the area.

The talks in Trieste are laying the groundwork for the G8 summit that will take place in the town of L'Aquila from July 8-10.

av/Reuters/AFP/dpa
Editor: Toma Tasovac