IRAN:European states have offered to ease proposed bans on exports of goods and technology to Iran in an effort to resolve Russia's objections, but no deal is in sight, diplomats said yesterday. The ban is intended as a sanction against Tehran's nuclear programme.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said senior officials from Russia, the US, Britain, France, Germany and China could meet on a UN resolution as early as next week to try to narrow differences.
But British UN ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said he did not expect discussions on a UN Security Council text, which have gone on for months, to resume in New York for at least 10 days, if not longer.
"It's a work in progress" with "different bits of language being discussed," he said. "It's premature to imagine there is a new text." The US and the European drafters of the document - Britain, France and Germany - want the council to impose sanctions on Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes after it refused to suspend its enrichment activities, as demanded in an August 31st council resolution. But Russia, backed by China, has chopped off close to half of the original European text.
The West believes Iran's uranium enrichment work is a cover for bomb-making. Tehran says it is for generating electricity. New European proposals would ban only the most dangerous items that could be used to make a nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles.
The original European draft demanded countries prevent the sale and supply of equipment, technology and financing contributing to all of Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. It drew on an extensive international list that included dual use materials.
"We are not against sanctioning Iran," Mr Lavrov said on a visit to Jordan. "We have to concentrate in the UN Security Council on prohibiting supply to Iran of technologies, materials and services related to the areas of concern." Still, there is no agreement on US-European demands for an assets freeze and a travel ban on individuals and groups involved in the nuclear programme, which Russia opposes.
US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice met the British, Italian and German foreign ministers and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana yesterday to discuss Iran and other issues in Jordan. Dr Rice indicated her patience was running out. "I'm all for maintaining unity but I'm also in favour of action," she said.