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China urges more time for Iran to meet IAEA demands
www.chinanews.cn 2006-03-18 14:06:25
(Source: Xinhua/AP)
Mar.18 - Chinese ambassador to the United Nations Wang Guangya said
Friday that the Security Council should give Iran at least "four weeks to
six weeks" to comply with demands by the UN nuclear watchdog that it halt
all uranium enrichment activities.
After a closed-door Security Council meeting to discuss British, French,
and U.S. proposals for a presidential statement about the Iranian nuclear
crisis, Wang Guangya indicated that the five permanent council members --
the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France --are still in
disagreement on key elements of the draft, including the short two-week
deadline, reported the Xinhua News Agency.
"We must leave sufficient time for diplomacy and for the IAEA to work ...
I think at least four weeks to six weeks, this is my feeling," Wang told
reporters, as quoted by Xinhua.
"Basically we need to send a message through this that the Security
Council is reinforcing the role of the IAEA, not to replace or take it
over from the IAEA," he stressed.
Xinhua said Russian Ambassador Andrey Denisov echoed Wang's view, saying
that "the crux of the idea is that the leading agency is the IAEA."
Speaking just before the meeting, Denisov rejected proposals that would
have the U.N. Security Council demand a quick progress report on Iran's
suspect nuclear program, saying �� half in jest �� that fast action could
lead to the bombing of Iran by June, the Associated Press reported.
"Let's just imagine that we adopt it and today we issued that statement
�� then what happens after two weeks?" Denisov said in an interview. "In
such a pace we'll start bombing in June."
Meanwhile, British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry expressed optimism. He
told reporters after the meeting that the 15-nation council is close to
agreement on the statement which would have the council demand Iran's
quick compliance with demands of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), according to Xinhua.
"The response we got from our colleagues today suggests that we are
pretty close to where they wanted us to be," Parry said, adding that
Britain and France are flexible on the timeframe for Iran's compliance.
The British-French draft, supported by the United States, would request
IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei to deliver a report in 14 days on
whether Iran has met the agency's requirements regarding its disputed
nuclear program.
The requirements, listed in the draft, include resuming suspension of
Iran's uranium enrichment-related activities and proving the peaceful
purpose of its nuclear program.
The British-French text initially requested IAEA to report back to the
Security Council but its revised version, circulated Thursday, requests
the UN nuclear watchdog to report to the council and the IAEA Board of
Governors "simultaneously".
The five key council members have held several rounds of private
consultations on the text since IAEA sent its assessment report on Iran's
controversial nuclear plan early this month.
U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said the Security Council is expected to meet
again next Tuesday on Iran's nuclear program, which Washington claims is
designed to secretly develop nuclear weapons.
On Monday, senior officials of the five permanent council members and
Germany are due to meet in New York to discuss the British-French draft
and the council's future strategy toward Iran's nuclear issue.
A presidential statement needs consensus among the 15 council members
while a resolution requires a minimum of nine votes, without a veto from
any of the five permanent members.
Teheran insists that its nuclear program is aimed at generating
electricity and it is entitled to develop peaceful nuclear technology
under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
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