Analysis: U.N., Security Council and Iran
By William M. Reilly
April 12, 2006
UPI
Original Source: http://www.upi.com/InternationalIntelligence/view.php?StoryID=20060412-051019-3653r
 
UNITED NATIONS, April 12 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appealed for all involved with the Iran nuclear dossier at the world organization to cool down rhetoric and actively search for a diplomatic solution while the Security Council leadership discussed the situation. 
Annan's remarks while visiting the Netherlands Wednesday came just a day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced the Islamic Republic had successfully enriched uranium, despite the council plea last month to maintain a suspension of such activity. 
Yes, they have pursued their research, the secretary-general told reporters in The Hague. But I hope they will be able to come back to the table and work with the international community to find a negotiated solution. 
Recalling Iran has all along maintained that its intent is to develop peaceful uses of nuclear energy for the country, the secretary-general said that if that indeed is the case, they should be able to give the international community that assurance and work with everybody to find a solution out of this. 
Added Annan, I appeal to everyone to work more actively in search of a diplomatic solution and to cool down on the rhetoric and not to escalate. 
The veto-wielding five permanent members of the 15-member Security Council met late in the afternoon at U.N. World Headquarters in New York on Iran and other matters. 
But the consensus seemed to be to wait for the International Atomic Energy Agency's report, requested for 30 days after its March 29 call on Tehran to maintain its suspension of enrichment research. 
We are concerned about the events and the way things are developing because according to what they announced it is not in line with what is required of them by the international community, including (an earlier) IAEA resolution and the Security Council Presidential statement issued last month, said Ambassador Wang Guangya of China, this month's resident of the council. 
We do appeal once again for all parties to exercise restraint, to act constructively and not to take action that might further aggravate the situation, he told reporters before the P5 meeting. Only by doing so I think can we contribute positively to a negotiated diplomatic solution. 
Wang added, I do hope the Iranians will take note of the reactions and be more cooperative with IAEA and the Security Council. 
Asked about possible sanctions against Iran, he said, People are talking about a diplomatic solution, therefore I think to talk about military and other sanctions will not be helpful. 
Wang said China and Russia want to see the Iranians be more cooperative with efforts of the IAEA and also with statements the Security Council. 
Emerging from the previously scheduled closed-door P5 session, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said, We discussed a number of issues including Iran. 
Asked if a new draft resolution was being discussed he explained ElBaradei was in Tehran, and I think we would like to see what results from that. 
Asked about reactions from other members of the P5 about Iran's announcement, Bolton said. We were all concerned about it. I think different governments have expressed their views on it and I don't have anything new to say here at this point. 
He added, We are still absorbing the negative consequences of the Iranian announcement. They have stepped ahead in the enrichment effort which is a decidedly negative development. It's something the council will have to treat very seriously because it's obviously ignoring what the council asked them (the Iranian leadership) to do, going in exactly the opposite direction. 
Asked about what can be done, the Washington envoy said, The question of what precisely we do is something we've got to consult with our capitals about. This is something ministers have talked about before and that's why I would describe this -- it's a lawyer's term -- as a status call. We just acknowledged what happened, talked about it and see what happens next.