[Related: Iran: Sanctions won't stop enrichment]
LONDON - The U.S., Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia will confer
Friday in London to assess Iran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment. They
are expected to refer the nuclear case to the U.N. Security Council for talks
next week on possible sanctions, diplomats said Thursday.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad clenches
his fist during a public gathering in the city of Karaj, 21 miles (35
kilometers) west of the capital Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Sept. 28, 2006.
[AP] |
Russia's foreign minister, however, said he believes it is too soon to impose
sanctions on Iran and that further efforts are needed to push Tehran to
negotiate.
To avoid alienating the Russians and the Chinese, any sanctions are likely to
be relatively mild, including embargoes on missile and nuclear technology, and
possible travel bans and other penalties on Iranian officials involved in their
country's nuclear program.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated Thursday his country would
not be frightened by threats to impose sanctions.
"Those who threaten Iran by sanctions and embargo should know that this
nation lived under the hardest situation in the past 27 years and achieved
nuclear technology. This nation will not be frightened by the threats,"
state-run television quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
Iran insists that its enrichment of uranium is purely for peaceful purposes
to be used for nuclear energy. But the United States and many European nations
believe Iran wants to enrich uranium to produce nuclear weapons.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, British Foreign Secretary Margaret
Beckett and French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy were to attend the 5
p.m. meeting in London. Germany, Russia and China will also send high-level
officials to the talks. Of the six nations, only Germany is not a permanent
member of the Security Council.
The officials were likely to confirm that the European-Iranian talks aimed at
persuading Tehran to suspend its enrichment program are at a standstill, a
senior Security Council diplomat said. They will also probably issue a statement
referring the case back to the council and listing the principles on which they
agree, according to the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because
talks were still taking place.
Britain's U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said he expects "the Iran dossier"
to return to the council "in the course of next week." He said Britain "will be
discussing with its partners and with members of the council the basis for
action by the council to adopt measures under Article 41 against Iran."
Article 41 authorizes the Security Council to impose sanctions that do not
involve the use of armed forces - such as economic penalties, breaking
diplomatic relations or banning air travel.
Iran was initially referred to the Security Council in February by the
International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, which said
Tehran's suspicious activities represented breaches of the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty. The Vienna-based agency also said it could not be sure
Iran was not trying to make weapons.
The council gave Iran until Aug. 31 to suspend enrichment in return for a
package of incentives or face punishments under Article 41, but the council has
held off on any action because of talks between European foreign policy chief
Javier Solana and Iran's top negotiator Ali Larijani.
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