Learn Chinese - Six powers fail to agree on Iranian nuke crisis

WORLD / UN

Six powers fail to agree on Iranian nuke crisis
(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-21 14:23

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 but failed to agree on a clear strategy to coax Tehran into
foregoing nuclear arms.

Iranian soldiers gather around an anti-aircraft machinegun inside the
uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, 300 kms south of Tehran. 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 but failed to agree on a clear strategy to coax Tehran into
foregoing nuclear arms. [AFP]

Participants, however, agreed 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 Under Secretary
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.

"We made some progress in looking at the text of the presidential
statement that is before the Security Council," Burns told reporters.
"It's clear from today's meeting that there has to be some more meetings
up here in New York."

"We are on the road towards an agreement," he added. "It may take a
little bit of time. But it's going to be be worth the time because when
we do achieve a statement, it will be yet another clear unified message
by the international community."

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. "It's essential
that Iran takes the steps required in order to start the process of
rebuilding confidence in its nuclear intentions."

But Sawers 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.

"No British government has made such a proposal," he told reporters.

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.

Schaefer however reiterated that "the Europeans have declared their
readiness to go back into negotiations if Iran freezes its activities and
that means all enrichment-related activities, including what they call
the R and D (research and development) project which de facto is a pilot
project in enrichment."

"we have not discussed specifics of resolutions, we have discussed
concept, how to go forward," he added.

Kisliayk described Monday's talks on all aspects of the crisis as
"businesslike" and said more discussions would follow.

Tehran rejects Western charges that it is trying to acquire nuclear
weapons and insists it has a right as a signatory to the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treay to conduct uranium enrichment.

Western powers see 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.

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