Britain sees no Iran action at U.N. in December

By Claudia Parsons
December 12, 2007
Reuters
Source: http://africa.reuters.com/world/news/usnN1295023.html


UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - World powers are unlikely to reach enough agreement in their talks on a new Iran sanctions resolution by the end of the year to start taking action at the United Nations, Britain said on Wednesday.

The comments by British Ambassador John Sawers contrasted with those of his U.S. counterpart Zalmay Khalilzad, who said he still expected talks among the five permanent Security Council members and Germany to move to New York this month.

 World powers failed to agree on Tuesday on final elements of a new U.N. sanctions resolution against Iran over its nuclear program, but the U.S. State Department said it hoped to get a deal within weeks.

Last week, a U.S. national intelligence estimate said Iran had stopped its nuclear weapons program in 2003, a surprise announcement diplomats say increased reluctance among already sceptical Russia and China for a third round of sanctions.

Sensitive resolutions such as those on Iran are typically negotiated by government officials in capitals until some consensus is reached, at which point the issue is transferred to New York for U.N. diplomats to finalize details of a text.

I think there's still wide differences between, on the one hand, Britain, France, Germany and the United States, on the other Russia and China, Sawers told reporters, adding that he did not expect the issue to come to New York in December.

I now think it unlikely, unfortunately, that we will be able to make progress during 2007, and we will come back to this issue in 2008, he said.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said on Wednesday amendments were being made to a sanctions proposal after senior officials known as political directors spoke by conference call on Tuesday.

Those are being considered in capitals right now, McCormack said. I would expect, although it's not scheduled yet, perhaps as early as early next week, they will get together once again for a conference call.

Diplomats say the U.S. intelligence report has slowed the sanctions debate. It's undoubtedly made it easier for Russia and China to refuse to agree to the next increment in sanctions, said one diplomat who asked not be identified.

Khalilzad conceded the report has not been helpful in speeding us to get to a resolution.

Asked if he still expected the talks to be transferred to New York in December, he said: That's our expectation, but it's contingent on agreement among the political directors.

Two rounds of sanctions have already been imposed on Iran for failing to heed a U.N. demand that it halt uranium enrichment, a process the West believes Tehran is trying to master so it can build atomic bombs.

Iran insists it wants only fuel for power plants and that it is not building a nuclear bomb.

(Additional reporting by Patrick Worsnip at the United Nations and Sue Pleming in Washington; editing by Mohammad Zargham)