http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL2138443120080122
Powers must close "gaps" for Iran sanctions deal Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:41am EST By Noah Barkin and Sue Pleming BERLIN (Reuters) - World powers said they would have to overcome key differences on Tuesday to agree on a new sanctions resolution against Iran that aims to ratchet up pressure on Tehran to curb sensitive nuclear work. Ahead of a meeting in Berlin of foreign ministers from the five permanent U.N. Security Council members and Germany, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said powers still had "some way to go" in agreeing a third U.N. sanctions resolution. The West has been engaged in a diplomatic showdown with Iran over its nuclear program since 2002 and the Security Council has already imposed two sets of mild sanctions -- the first in December 2006 and second in March 2007. A new resolution could range from financial and investment freezes to travel bans and an arms embargo. "The political directors have made some progress," Rice said, referring to envoys who have been trying to hammer out language on a new resolution that is acceptable to all six countries. "I know there are still some gaps to close." The West suspects Iran is secretly pursuing an atomic bomb. Iran, which says its nuclear program is for peaceful power generation, has vowed that new sanctions will not stop it from pursuing its "legitimate and legal right" to nuclear energy. Washington has spearheaded a months-long drive for more punitive measures and wants a new resolution to impose a ban on business with leading Iranian state banks. But Russia and China, both commercial partners of Iran, have hardened their opposition to tougher sanctions since a U.S. intelligence report last month said Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. PROGRESS Host Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he hoped ministers from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, who were due to meet at 4:30 p.m. (1530 GMT), would send Iran a signal about their concern over its nuclear ambitions but also warned that success was not guaranteed. "The fact that Russia and China are both here is a positive sign," the German foreign minister told ARD public television. "I can't promise we will come out of this meeting with an agreement on how to proceed in the U.N Security Council, that we will agree on the text of a resolution and I can't tell you what new sanctions will look like." One European diplomat, however, said political directors had made good progress in recent days and said there were legitimate chances of an agreement. A French source also voiced optimism that the ministers would seal a new draft that could be forwarded to the United Nations in the coming days. The foreign ministers last met to discuss Iran in September in New York and have made little tangible progress since then. International Atomic Energy Agency director Mohamed ElBaradei won agreement from Iran this month to answer questions about its past covert nuclear work within four weeks, but western diplomats say expectations are low that leaders in Tehran will be forthcoming. China said on Tuesday the nuclear standoff had reached a "critical moment". [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
