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Six major powers agree to further talks on Iran sanctions
New York (AFP) April 8, 2010 - Envoys of six major powers met for nearly three hours behind closed doors Thursday to weigh new UN sanctions on Iran and said further talks would be held here and in capital cities in coming days. "We had a worthwhile discussion," US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice told reporters at the end of the meeting. "We look forward to continuing these discussions here in New York and in capitals in the days and weeks to come." she added. "We heard some constructive proposals," her Russian counterpart Vitaly Churkin said. Rice and Churkin huddled with their fellow envoys from Britain, China, France, and Germany at Britain's UN mission in New York to discuss a US draft resolution that would slap sanctions on Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards believed to be involved in nuclear proliferation activities.
In Prague, US and Russian presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev warned Iran of possible sanctions shortly after signing a landmark disarmament deal. The two leaders said Iran could expect sanctions if it maintains its refusal to halt uranium enrichment and cooperate with UN atomic watchdog inspectors amid Western suspicions that it is seeking a bomb. The United States and its Western allies believe Tehran is using uranium enrichment as a cover to build nuclear weapons, a claim the Iranians deny. In New York, China's UN Ambassador Li Baodong said after the meeting that the six powers would continue to pursue a diplomatic solution even as they sought a deal over sanctions to persuade Tehran to halt its uranium enrichment program. "The dual track (sanctions coupled with negotiations) approach is actually focused on diplomacy," Li said. Churkin echoed those remarks.
China, which for weeks had resisted discussing in earnest the specific proposals agreed by the United States and its key European allies, finally relented and agreed to join the ambassador-level discussions in New York. Earlier Thursday, Rice said at UN headquarters: "I am not prepared to predict when they (the talks) will conclude or not." "We are working to get this done swiftly, within a matter of weeks in the spring," she added. Obama called for "smart" and "strong" sanctions by the United Nations, which in May will hold a review conference on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. "I have said many times that sanctions very often do not work, but sometimes they are necessary.... These need to be smart sanctions, capable of prompting the right behavior," Medvedev added. The 15-member UN Security Council, including China, has already imposed three sets of sanctions on Iran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment.
The State Department said efforts to pressure Iran to curtail its nuclear ambitions will also be a "significant" topic during next week's nuclear summit in Washington. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said he expected Iran to come up during meetings which Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hold on the sidelines of the summit. "We continue to do everything we can to produce an appropriate resolution as soon as possible and we're very mindful of the timetable," he said. But China, which has close energy ties with Tehran and last week played host to the Islamic republic's chief nuclear negotiator, said through its foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu that it "still believes dialogue and consultation are the best way to solve the (Iranian) nuclear issue."
New York (AFP) April 8, 2010 - Envoys of six major powers met for nearly three hours behind closed doors Thursday to weigh new UN sanctions on Iran and said further talks would be held here and in capital cities in coming days. "We had a worthwhile discussion," US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice told reporters at the end of the meeting. "We look forward to continuing these discussions here in New York and in capitals in the days and weeks to come." she added. "We heard some constructive proposals," her Russian counterpart Vitaly Churkin said. Rice and Churkin huddled with their fellow envoys from Britain, China, France, and Germany at Britain's UN mission in New York to discuss a US draft resolution that would slap sanctions on Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards believed to be involved in nuclear proliferation activities.
In Prague, US and Russian presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev warned Iran of possible sanctions shortly after signing a landmark disarmament deal. The two leaders said Iran could expect sanctions if it maintains its refusal to halt uranium enrichment and cooperate with UN atomic watchdog inspectors amid Western suspicions that it is seeking a bomb. The United States and its Western allies believe Tehran is using uranium enrichment as a cover to build nuclear weapons, a claim the Iranians deny. In New York, China's UN Ambassador Li Baodong said after the meeting that the six powers would continue to pursue a diplomatic solution even as they sought a deal over sanctions to persuade Tehran to halt its uranium enrichment program. "The dual track (sanctions coupled with negotiations) approach is actually focused on diplomacy," Li said. Churkin echoed those remarks.
China, which for weeks had resisted discussing in earnest the specific proposals agreed by the United States and its key European allies, finally relented and agreed to join the ambassador-level discussions in New York. Earlier Thursday, Rice said at UN headquarters: "I am not prepared to predict when they (the talks) will conclude or not." "We are working to get this done swiftly, within a matter of weeks in the spring," she added. Obama called for "smart" and "strong" sanctions by the United Nations, which in May will hold a review conference on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. "I have said many times that sanctions very often do not work, but sometimes they are necessary.... These need to be smart sanctions, capable of prompting the right behavior," Medvedev added. The 15-member UN Security Council, including China, has already imposed three sets of sanctions on Iran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment.
The State Department said efforts to pressure Iran to curtail its nuclear ambitions will also be a "significant" topic during next week's nuclear summit in Washington. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said he expected Iran to come up during meetings which Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hold on the sidelines of the summit. "We continue to do everything we can to produce an appropriate resolution as soon as possible and we're very mindful of the timetable," he said. But China, which has close energy ties with Tehran and last week played host to the Islamic republic's chief nuclear negotiator, said through its foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu that it "still believes dialogue and consultation are the best way to solve the (Iranian) nuclear issue."
