Posted on 03/27/2006 5:45:09 PM PST by blam
Diplomatic push is planned to curb Iran's nuclear ambition
By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor
(Filed: 28/03/2006)
The world's key powers will seek this week to reach agreement on a strategy that will build up pressure on Iran.
This could lead to sanctions being imposed by the summer unless Teheran halts the most dangerous parts of its nuclear programme.
Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, along with foreign ministers from the United States, France, Germany, Russia, and China will meet in Berlin on Thursday at a gathering designed to finalise a United Nations call on Iran to comply with international demands, and to agree the steps that will follow if Teheran refuses.
Russia has been the main obstacle to western attempts to isolate the regime, as Moscow fears that the crisis could escalate and endanger its large commercial interests in Iran.
But senior diplomats said western countries would try to exploit Russia's desire to host a successful G8 summit in St Petersburg in July to secure support from Moscow.
"It is very important for Vladimir Putin to show achievement at the summit. The G8 is an obvious moment to exert pressure," said one senior western source. "If we get the Russians' agreement, the Chinese will probably follow their lead."
Iran says its nuclear programme is entirely "peaceful", and says it only wants to build facilities to enrich uranium in order to make fuel for nuclear reactors to generate electricity. But the west believes that this technology will be used to make fissile material for bombs.
Teheran has defiantly restarted its enrichment programme, and is quickly perfecting the techniques needed to make enriched uranium.
After weeks of frustrating talks in New York, western officials are careful not to predict success in Berlin. But it is unlikely that foreign ministers would have been summoned to Berlin unless there was a good chance of an agreement.
The US and Israel have refused to rule out the use of force to try to stop Iran's nuclear programme. But Mr Straw is convinced that the most powerful tool against Iran is "maintaining international consensus".
The first step could be a non-binding "presidential statement" from the UN Security Council.
The UN fiddles while Iran's nuclear fires burn.
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