Posted on 09/05/2005 7:03:22 PM PDT by nuconvert
Russia against referring Iran to UN Security Council
Maria Golovnina
Mon Sep 5, 2005
Russia said on Monday it opposed reporting Iran to the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear program, as signs emerged that European support for such a measure could be waning.
U.S. and European Union officials have said they will push for Iran's nuclear case to be sent to the Security Council -- which has the power to impose sanctions -- if Tehran does not halt all nuclear fuel work and resume negotiations with the EU.
"In these circumstances we see no reason why the question should be sent to the U.N. (Security Council)," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Russia has been criticized by Washington for building a nuclear plant in Iran, but is a permanent member of the Council and can use its veto to block any move against Iran. The United States, Britain, China and France are the other permanent members who wield vetoes on the Security Council.
Iran, which denies wanting nuclear weapons as suspected by Washington and the European Union, angered the EU by resuming uranium processing work at a plant in Isfahan -- a move which led EU officials to threaten the Security Council referral.
But on Monday, senior British and German officials toned down their rhetoric and called for more diplomacy.
Wolfgang Gerhardt, who could become Germany's foreign minister after the September 18 general election, said Iran should not be referred to the Security Council.
"The Iran negotiations are not yet a topic for the Security Council, rather the negotiations should be revived," he said.
Separately, a senior British government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Council's task was to reinforce diplomatic efforts to resolve the impasse rather than "take a punitive approach."
"We disagree with the Russians on what they've said so far and we'll take forward these discussions," he said. "The Prime Minister (Tony Blair) will probably raise this in China and we'll see where we are at the end of this week."
RUSSIANS AND EUROPEANS
Russia has long warned against using force to stop Tehran's nuclear program and called for diplomatic ways to settle disagreements. At the same time Russia has called on Iran to halt uranium conversion and improve ties with U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Diplomats in Moscow said Russia's staunch pro-Iranian position stemmed from its unwillingness to lose a key ally in the Middle East and an important market for nuclear technology.
"Russia has its own economic interests. Referring its key client to the Council would automatically cancel all of its lucrative contracts with Iran," said one diplomat. "Besides Moscow would never miss a chance to irritate the Americans."
Russia has built a $1 billion nuclear power plant for Iran near the southern port of Bushehr, due to be launched next year.
A report by IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, circulated to diplomats last week, said the agency was still not able to say Iran had no secret nuclear materials or activities. The IAEA board is due to meet on September 19 to discuss Iran.
European negotiators have set no deadline for Iran to reinstate its suspension due to what EU diplomats said was uncertainty over achieving consensus on the issue.
"A majority referral by the United States and the Europeans with big players like the Russians and the Chinese opposed would be politically dead on arrival at the Security Council in New York," one diplomat said.
Some suggested that Iran wanted to hold a separate meeting with top U.N. and IAEA officials before September 19 to offer a new proposal aimed at ending the stand-off, in a move likely to lead to further delays in referring Iran to the Council.
Another diplomat said Iran "wanted to internationalize the current negotiations" by proposing to invite other countries like Russia, China, India or South Africa to join the talks.
The diplomat said that could "rescue the Iranian nuclear project in a 'legitimate' way from the constraints of the Paris Agreement" under which Tehran agreed to suspend nuclear work under a deal with the EU negotiators in November 2004.
(Additional reporting by Paul Taylor in Brussels, Louis Charbonneau in Berlin and Madeline Chambers in London
Hold me...I might tip over out of stunned surprise.
Follow the money (and the nukes)...
Why don't we just buy those contract from Russia, and then let China veto in the UN to reveal our real enemy?
BTW, Iran burns off more natual gas than we use in a year. What do they need with a nuke plant?
Why dont we relocate the UN to the Superdome?
Ping...
"Why dont we relocate the UN to the Superdome?"
Mars would be a better place....
Well they've sold them components, helped build Bushier, trained technicians, and are now shielding them from UN action (not that it'd take much... you can almost hear the EU3 sigh in relief)
Guess they aren't too happy about all the democracy breaking out and New US bases being put up very close to home.
Sounds like russia has become france. Letting financial interests dictate your politics and polocies.
Shame on you russia.
A pox on all three of them.
Haha, I ping GarySpFc to this thread and he doesn't show up to defend his buddy putin! I guess you can't defend the indefensible
"Sounds like russia has become france."
For them, that would be a step up. I'm no fan of the French, but the Russians are considerably worse.
J.Edgar Hoover had his own collection of personnel files that kept him in supreme power for decades.
The Hildabeast simply copied the master.
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