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UN Security Council powers meet on Iran atom crisis
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-01-16 08:48
The United States and European Union hope to enlist Russian and Chinese
support for robust diplomatic steps against Iran over its contentious nuclear
programme when the U.N. Security Council powers meet on Monday.
Iran's resumption of research that could be used for either civilian atomic
energy or bombs has sparked a flurry of Western diplomacy in pursuit of a vote
by the U.N. nuclear watchdog to refer Iran to the Council for possible
sanctions.
Moscow, with a $1 billion stake building Iran's first atomic reactor, and
Beijing, reliant on Iranian oil for its burgeoning economy, have so far blocked
a consensus for referral within the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
board of governors.
But Russia warned Iran after it restarted fuel research last week that it
could lose Moscow's support unless it suspended the work. China, however, said
resorting to the Security Council might "complicate the issue", citing Iran's
threat to hit back by halting snap U.N. inspections of its atomic plants.
Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki
speaks to Reuters correspondent during an interview in Tehran January 15,
2006. Mottaki accused the European Union on Sunday of over-reacting to
Tehran's resumption last week of atomic research and urged it to return to
negotiations.[Reuters] | Russian and Chinese
receptiveness to an IAEA vote against Iran is crucial as both are veto-wielding
permanent members of the Council, along with the United States, Britain and
France.
Diplomats said the London meeting of permanent Council members and Germany
was aimed at reaching a consensus before an emergency IAEA board meeting the
West wants next month.
"There's some confidence that Russia is increasingly leaning towards the
EU3-U.S. position and will not block referral," said a diplomat with the EU trio
of Germany, France and Britain that last week called off dragging dialogue with
Iran.
But he said China still looked more difficult to persuade.
If the Western powers found Russia and China ready to back referral, the
talks could yield a date for an IAEA board meeting well ahead of its next
scheduled session on March 6.
SUSPICION
Iran says its nuclear research and development project is meant solely to
feed an electricity-needy economy. Years of IAEA investigations have found no
firm evidence to the contrary.
But Iran's concealment of nuclear activities for almost 20 years until it was
disclosed by dissident exiles in 2002, a spotty record of cooperation with the
IAEA since, and calls for wiping out Israel have fired Western resolve to rein
in Tehran.
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei was quoted as saying in a Newsweek magazine
interview he could not exclude the possibility Iran might be harbouring a secret
nuclear arms programme distinct from activities known to his agency.
"If they have the nuclear material and they have a parallel weaponisation
program along the way, they are really not very far -- a few months -- from a
weapon," he said.
"We still need to assure ourselves through access to documents, individuals
[and] locations that we have seen all that we ought to see and that there is
nothing fishy, if you like, about the programme," ElBaradei added.
Asked if Iran was buying time to build a bomb, he replied: "That's why I said
we are coming to the litmus test in the next few weeks."
Western officials say Iran stepped over the "red line" last week by stripping
IAEA seals from equipment that purifies uranium, a key component in nuclear
power or, if enriched to a higher level, in weaponry.
OIL THREAT
A German government official told reporters ahead of Chancellor Angela
Merkel's trip to Moscow on Monday that the EU3 was amenable to reviving its
talks with Iran -- but only if it once again suspended its fuel development
programme.
An EU3 diplomat in Berlin said Merkel hoped to get an assurance from Russian
President Vladimir Putin that Moscow would not obstruct Security Council
referral and would form a common front with the EU and United States in handling
Iran.
But OPEC giant Iran zeroed in on the weakness of Western tough talk by saying
any crackdown could drive up world oil prices, which would batter industrialised
economies.
Iran is the world's fourth largest exporter of crude oil.
Tehran also said only diplomacy, not threats of Council referral, could
defuse its standoff with the West.
U.S. Republican and Democratic senators said Washington may ultimately have
to undertake a military strike to deter Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said last week using force against
Iran was not an option "at this point".
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