Russia, China hamper setting of clear strategy on Iran crisis

Tweet

UNITED NATIONS: Top officials from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States wrapped up more than four hours of talks on the Iranian nuclear crisis here Monday but failed to agree on a clear strategy to coax Tehran into foregoing nuclear arms. Participants, however, were in accord to continue their discussions, including the issue of a Franco-British statement now before the UN Security Council that calls on Iran to comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) demand that it suspend uranium enrichment. “The talks were difficult,” largely because of Russian and Chinese objections to the firm stance advocated by the Western powers, said a Western diplomat who asked not to be named. The meeting, at Britain’s UN mission, brought together US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak and foreign ministry political directors John Sawers of Britain, Stanislas de Laboulaye of France, Zhang Yan of China and Michael Schaefer of Germany, officials said. Participants spoke of common ground on the goal of preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons but the officials representing the five veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council plus Germany did not produce concrete plans to deal with Iran’s nuclear defiance. The meeting had been billed as an attempt by the six powers to map out a long-term strategy to deal with Tehran. The Security Council was to resume talks on the revised Franco-British draft Tuesday amid hopes by Western members that a deal could be sealed later in the week. “There was a lot of common ground between us. We share the objective vis-a-vis Iran and its nuclear program,” said Sawers. “ (But) it’s essential that Iran takes the steps required in order to start the process of rebuilding confidence in its nuclear intentions.” Sawers, however, denied reports from Vienna that Britain had outlined a long-term strategy that would include an offer to resume talks on European economic incentives in exchange for Iran renouncing a nuclear weapons capabilities. But western powers see an adoption of the Franco-British non-binding statement as the first step in a graduated response from the Security Council that could ultimately lead to sanctions against Tehran if it refuses to cooperate. The talks between the so-called EU-3—Britain, France and Germany—and Iran foun­dered when Iran started nuclear fuel work last August. The IAEA has been investigating Iran since February 2003 on US charges that Tehran is using its civilian nuclear power program to hide an atomic weapons program