Asia-Pacific

Iran vows to defy U.N. nuclear sanctions

(AP)
Updated: 2006-12-24 11:09

In a final attempt to win Russian support, the measure dropped one Iranian company from the list of those facing an asset freeze.

Ahead of the vote, Russian President Vladimir Putin called President Bush, agreeing on the need for a resolution, said Blain Rethmeier, a White house spokesman.

"We hope the Russian government is going to work with us in a very active way to send this message of unity to Iran and we hope Russia is going to take a very vigorous approach itself," Burns said after the vote.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Moscow agreed to sanctions because it focuses on measures Iran must take, spelled out by the International Atomic Energy Agency, "to lift remaining concerns" about its nuclear ambitions.

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He stressed that the goal must be to resume talks. If Iran suspends enrichment and reprocessing, the resolution calls for a suspension of sanctions and further negotiations.

China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya called for stepped up diplomatic efforts, saying "sanctions are not the end but a means to urge Iran to resume negotiations."

The resolution authorizes action under Article 41 of Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter. It allows the Security Council to impose nonmilitary sanctions such as severing diplomatic and economic relations, transportation and communications links.

To replace the travel ban, the resolution now calls on all states "to exercise vigilance" regarding the entry or transit through their territory of the dozen Iranians on the U.N. list. It asks countries to notify a Security Council committee that will be created to monitor sanctions when those Iranians show up in their country.

The resolution also says the council will review Iran's actions in light of a report from the head of the IAEA, requested within 60 days, on whether Iran has suspended uranium enrichment and complied with other IAEA demands.

It says sanctions will end as soon as the board of IAEA — the U.N's nuclear watchdog — confirms that Iran has complied with all its obligations.

An IAEA statement Saturday expressed agency chief Mohamed Elbaradei's hope in the long-term for "cooperation with Iran based on mutual respect and the establishment of international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear" program.

Before the final text was circulated, Churkin pressed for amendments to ensure that Moscow can conduct legitimate nuclear activities in Iran.

Russia is building Iran's first atomic power plant at Bushehr, which is expected to go on line in late 2007. A reference to Bushehr in the original draft was removed earlier — as Russia demanded.

The six countries trying to curb Iran's nuclear program — Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the United States — offered Tehran a package of economic incentives and political rewards in June if it agreed to consider a long-term moratorium on enrichment and committed itself to a freeze on uranium enrichment before talks on its nuclear program.

That package remains an option, but with Iran refusing to comply with an Aug. 31 council deadline to stop enrichment, Britain and France in late October circulated a draft sanctions resolution, which has since been revised several times.