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US, Britain, France upbeat on Iran agreement
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-03-18 09:15
The United States and its allies on Friday predicted adoption of a UN
Security Council statement on Iran's nuclear ambitions next week, although China
and Russia.
US Ambassador John Bolton told reporters after a closed
meeting of the 15-nation council that a Franco-British draft statement "is
certainly very close to agreement."
French Permanent
Representative to the UN Jean-Marc de La Sabliere speaks to the press as
Sir Emyr Jones Parry, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland, listens. The Security Council is
inching toward agreeing a revised Franco-British draft urging Iran to
suspend uranium enrichment. [AFP] |
Both Russia and China have been apprehensive that council involvement would
take the issue away from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency.
They also fear that Security Council action would escalate and lead to possible
sanctions or other punitive measures.
One sticking point was a demand for a report from the head of the
Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency within 14 days. But Bolton and
the British and French ambassadors said the council could be flexible and extend
the reporting time. China had proposed four to six weeks.
"We have signaled that there is flexibility, on the assumption we adopt this
text soon," French Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere said. "But the longer it
takes, then the shorter the time will be."
Another problem was whether the report from the IAEA should go to the council
or the nuclear watchdog's 35-member governing board first. British Ambassador
Emyr Jones Parry said both would receive it simultaneously, although the
statement only mentions the Security Council.
"The council should not be fettered in its consideration of that report by
any consideration elsewhere," he said. "But that report should also be available
to the agency and to its governing board. So it is simultaneity."
"We are now very close to the end of the discussions," de la Sabliere said.
He hoped for adoption on Tuesday but that Russia and China still needed
instructions from their respective governments.
China's U.N. ambassador Wang Guangya said Russia and China still had
differences with the draft that expresses "serious concern" about Iran's nuclear
program and asks the IAEA to report on whether Tehran had complied with its
demands. It does not threaten sanctions.
But Bolton said, "I think they can clearly see that the rest of the council,
with some possible additional modifications, basically, in broad substance, is
ready to go."
The draft statement also calls on Iran to suspend uranium-enrichment efforts,
which the West believes are a cover for bomb-making. Iran insists its research
is intended to produce nuclear energy, but the IAEA is concerned Tehran might be
seeking atomic weapons.
China's Wang told the meeting the draft statement should be shorter and not
spell out each demand, even its main points duplicated those from the IAEA
governing board, participants at the session reported.
To reporters, Wang said, "We need to send a message ... that the Security
Council is supporting, reinforcing the role of the IAEA, not replace it or take
it over from IAEA."
But Bolton said, "The urgency of sending a clear and strong signal to Iran is
certainly very much on our mind, conscious as we are that the Iranian
centrifuges are spinning with uranium hexafluoride in them. That is a very
serious matter."
He was also asked about comments from Russia's U.N. Ambassador Andrei Denisov
that the pace of council action was too fast. "If I were as near to Iran as
Russia is I would certainly want to get this resolved quickly," Bolton said.
The 15 council members meet again on Tuesday, a day after senior foreign
ministry officials, including U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, come
to meet in New York to discuss future strategy. The other officials are from
Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany.
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