Diplomats to draft new sanctions on Iran
New York Times reports six key world powers agree to begin work on tougher UN resolution to tackle Isalmic Republic’s defiant nuclear program; ‘Iran faces diplomatic isolation from the rest of the world if it doesn’t suspend uranium enrichment,’ US State Department spokesman says
According to the New York Times, top officials from the United States, Britain, China, Russia, Germany and France agreed to begin working on the resolution after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported last week that Iran was expanding its efforts to enrich uranium, in continuing defiance of the United Nations.
The State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, was quoted by the newspaper's online edition as saying that the United States was willing to join in talks between the Europeans and Iran over the nuclear program, provided that Iran suspended its uranium enrichment activity.
“Should they choose not to proceed down that pathway, then there will be consequences. And those consequences will be diplomatic isolation from the rest of the world,” he said.
The first sanctions resolution banned the import and export of materials and technology used in uranium enrichment, reprocessing and ballistic missiles, and froze the assets of 12 Iranians and 10 companies said to be involved in nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
'It won’t be straightforward'
But it did not include a mandatory travel ban on people involved in nuclear activities, as the Bush administration had proposed.
According to the New York Times, American and European officials would like to see the next round of sanctions include the travel ban, as well as a further freeze on international financial transactions by top Iranian officials.
“We’ve done a lot of the political negotiation that we didn’t do last time,” The New York Times quoted one European diplomat involved in the negotiations as saying. But, he added, “I’m sure it won’t be straightforward.”
A second sanctions resolution would be part of the overall increase in oratory and pressure against Iran by the Bush administration, which has also accused the Iranians of meddling in Iraq, The New York Times said.
Part of the debate on another resolution is bound to reflect concern from Russia over the possibility of American military action against Iran, said the report.
AFP contributed to the report
