New York: Foreign ministers of US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany have failed to agree on a unified position on how to tackle the Iranian nuclear crisis, after a meeting in New York.
At the meeting, hosted by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in New York, Russia and China remained unconvinced with the arguments of US, UK and France in support of their conviction that the new resolution seeking an end to Iranian nuclear enrichment programme should be under Chapter seven of the UN Charter which authorises sanctions and even military as a last resort.
Last week, the US and other states tabled a draft resolution urging Iran to suspend uranium enrichment.
The US has also dismissed a letter from Iran’s leader as proposing nothing new.
The letter from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – thought to be the first from an Iranian president to a US leader since Iran’s 1979 revolution – was dispatched via the Swiss embassy in Tehran on Monday.
France and Britain have circulated a draft resolution to the Security Council that would invoke Chapter seven of the UN Charter. The draft would oblige Iran to suspend uranium enrichment.
Russia and China agree to the need for another Security Council resolution to demand Iran stop its nuclear enrichment programme but strongly oppose invocation of Chapter seven. The Council has to act as Iran had defied its earlier statement asking to suspend its enrichment programme.
Their argument is that all resolutions of the Council are binding and Chapter seven provides for enforcement, which could mean sanctions and war to which they are opposed.
But the US, Britain and France strongly believe that the resolution seeking end of the Iranian uranium programme must be under Chapter 7 and Washington has threatened to seek vote in the Council this week even without Moscow and Beijing coming on board.
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