Nations fail to agree Iran nuclear sanctions plan
Pastor Dale Morgan
Nations fail to agree Iran nuclear sanctions plan*
By Francois Murphy
Reuters
Tuesday, December 5, 2006; 7:42 PM
PARIS (Reuters) - Six world powers failed on Tuesday to agree a draft
U.N. resolution to slap sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, and
after months of haggling France said several key differences remain
between the West and Russia.
With agreement still proving elusive at talks between senior officials
in Paris, France, Britain and Germany felt the time had come to move
their negotiations back to the United Nations in New York in a last push
to broker a deal.
"We made substantive progress on the scope of the sanctions, targeting
proliferation-sensitive activities. There remain several outstanding
issues, on which we will reflect over the coming days," France's foreign
ministry said in a statement.
In the talks, France, Germany and Britain told Russia they want a U.N.
resolution on sanctions to be passed by the end of the year, an EU
diplomat said.
After forcing the Europeans to water down their sanctions plans over the
past weeks and spurning tough measures against Iran, the Russians
indicated a compromise might be possible, prompting Tuesday's hastily
arranged talks.
Yet the Europeans, the United States, Russia and China remained divided
over the proposed bans on exports of sensitive materials, an assets
freeze and travel ban on individuals and groups involved in Iran's
nuclear program.
The Russians agreed to export bans on more technology and materials that
could be used in Iran's nuclear or ballistic missile programs, but
little progress was made on financial sanctions against people and
organizations linked to sensitive work, or on visa bans, the European
diplomat said.
The sanctions would be a first phase of punishment against Iran for its
failure to comply with an August 31 U.N. deadline to suspend uranium
enrichment, which can produce fuel for nuclear power plants or bombs.
Iran denies Western charges that its nuclear program is a cover for an
atomic weapons program but was ordered by the Security Council to freeze
enrichment for failing to convince the world that its nuclear program is
entirely peaceful.
Despite the failure to reach agreement after its foreign minister said
he thought a breakthrough was possible, France also sought to remain upbeat.
"We all agree on the necessity of adopting an effective resolution. We
are now close to a conclusion of this process. The next step will be in
New York," the foreign ministry said.
CREDIBILITY
The European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the
Europeans had told the Russians they wanted a resolution passed by the
end of the year or else they would lose credibility.
"We had hoped that this discussion would enable us to move forward
rather substantially and to be honest that was not the case," he said.
"We have indicated to them that for the credibility of our action, and
for the credibility of the (Security) Council's action, we now need a
decision by the end of the year," he said.
EU diplomats say the sanctions called for in the text will be largely
symbolic but that unanimous approval of even mild sanctions will send a
strong signal to Tehran that the world is determined to stop Iran
obtaining nuclear arms.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country would consider it
an act of "enmity" if France, Britain and Germany tried to block
Tehran's nuclear development and would reconsider ties with them.
"If you insist on your path against the Iranian nation's right, the
Iranian nation will count it as enmity against the Iranian nation and
the Iranian nation will reconsider its relation to you," he said in
Sari, northern Iran.
In Washington, Robert Gates, who has been nominated to replace Donald
Rumsfeld as U.S. defense secretary, said military action against Iran
would be "an absolute last resort."
(Additional reporting by Anna Willard in Paris, Kristin Roberts and Sue
Pleming in Washington, Lin Nueihed in Dubai, Mark John and David
Brunnstrom in Brussels, and Tehran bureau)