The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution Monday giving Iran until August
31 to suspend uranium enrichment or face the threat of economic and diplomatic
sanctions.
Because of Russian and Chinese demands, the text is weaker than earlier
drafts, which would have made the threat of sanctions immediate. The draft now
essentially requires the council to hold further discussions before it considers
sanctions.
The draft passed by a vote of 14-1. Qatar, the only Arab nation on the
council, cast the lone dissenting vote.
Drafted by Britain, France and Germany with U.S. backing, the resolution is a
follow-up to a July 12 agreement _ by the foreign ministers of those four
countries, plus Russia and China _ to refer Tehran to the Security Council for
not responding to incentives offered in June to suspend enrichment.
The ministers asked that council members adopt a resolution making Iran's
suspension of enrichment activities mandatory. The resolution includes that
demand and calls on all states "to exercise vigilance" in preventing the
transfer of all goods that could be used for Iran's enrichment and ballistic
missile programs.
"The United Kingdom is deeply disappointed that Iran has given no indication
that it is ready to engage seriously on our proposals nor taken the steps needed
to allow negotiations to begin," Britain's U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones-Parry
said.
Qatar's U.N. Ambassador Nassir Al-Nasser said that while the demands of the
six nations were legitimate, the resolution will only exacerbate tensions in the
region and Iran should be given more time to respond. Tehran said last week it
would reply August 22 to the Western incentive package, but the council decided
to go ahead with a resolution and not wait for Iran's response.
"We do not agree with the tabling of this resolution at a time when our
region is in flames," Al-Nasser said. "We see no harm in waiting for a few days
to exhaust all possible means and in order to identify the real intentions of
Iran."
Last Friday, Iran called again for international negotiations on its nuclear
ambitions and said it was considering the incentives. Western nations have
dismissed the idea of such talks without a halt to Iran's uranium enrichment.
The U.S. and some of its allies accuse Iran of seeking to produce highly
enriched uranium and plutonium for nuclear weapons. Tehran maintains its nuclear
program is purely peaceful and aimed at generating electricity.
The resolution would call on the U.N nuclear agency, the Vienna-based
International Atomic Energy Agency, to report back by August 31 on Iran's
compliance with the resolution's demands.
If Iran does not comply, the council would then move to adopt political and
economic sanctions, the resolution said.
Diplomats said the threats spelled out in the resolution would be revoked if
Iran agrees to the package of incentives.
