Foreign Ministers Try for Iran Agreement at UN 
May 8, 2006
The New York Times
Original Source: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-iran-nuclear-un.html

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Six foreign ministers prepared on Monday to chart a common course on a U.N. Security Council resolution that would order Tehran to suspend its nuclear programs.
So far, however, the ministers, invited to a dinner in New York by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, have not agreed on key points of the proposed measure, such as invoking Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, used in dozens of Council resolutions for peacekeeping missions and other legally-binding actions.
Russia and China, which have veto power, fear too much pressure on Iran would be self-defeating or precipitate an oil crisis. Both worry the United States would use a Chapter 7 resolution to justify military action.
Chapter 7 allows for sanctions and even war, but a separate resolution is required to specify either step.
In addition to the United States, the foreign ministers include those from Germany, Britain, France, Russia and China.
France and Britain, who drafted the resolution backed by the United States, said on Saturday, after an informal meeting of all 15 council members, they were prepared to bring the measure to a vote this week, even without Russian or Chinese backing. But other diplomats said the move was unlikely without prior agreement from the big powers.
``We're not prepared to extend these negotiations endlessly,'' U.S. Ambassador John Bolton told reporters. ``I think it's realistic to consider this for a vote (this) week.'' 
VEILED THREAT
``The controversy is over the core issues, which have not been decided,'' Bolton said. ``Obviously it would be decided quickly if we were able to achieve the objective of a vote ... which we think is achievable.''
The resolution, introduced on Wednesday, would compel Iran to suspend its nuclear enrichment activities. It does not call for punitive action if Iran defies the Council but the United States has made clear that an attempt to impose international sanctions would be the next step.
The draft also says the Security Council ``expresses its intention to consider further measures as may be necessary to ensure compliance,'' a veiled threat of sanctions without imposing them.
Iran on Sunday vowed again to reject any U.N. resolution on its nuclear program, which it says is legal and peaceful, and threatened to stop cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, its Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
The Security Council in late March issued a nonbinding statement asking Iran to abandon uranium enrichment, a process than can lead to a nuclear weapon or produce fuel to generate electricity.
The council asked for a report within 30 days from the IAEA, whose director, Mohammed ElBaradei, said on April 28 that Iran had not complied.
Iran recently accelerated its pace of uranium enrichment but remains far below levels needed to make an atomic bomb.
Iranian officials note that the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, has not found a weapons program after three years of scrutiny and does not consider Iran's program an imminent security threat.