Not quite the united front that the US-EU troika were hoping for.
Russia, China fail to join push on Iran
The world’s leading powers agree that Iran should resume its freeze on research into uranium enrichment, but they have failed to persuade Russia and China to join them in bringing Iran before the UN Security Council. Amid fears that Tehran wants to build nuclear weapons, the council has the power to punish Iran with economic sanctions. But that could jeopardise the enormous commercial interests that Russia and China have in Iran, the world’s fourth-largest oil producer. Nevertheless, the Europeans told their American, Russian and Chinese counterparts in talks in London that they would call an emergency session of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-member board of governors in early February for a vote on reporting Iran to the Security Council. The meeting, hastily organised over the weekend, produced no unanimous statements, in an apparent sign of reluctance by Russia and China to apply additional pressure quickly on Iran, a country with which both have important commercial ties. Although Russia insisted its position on Iran’s defiance was “very close” to that of Europe and the United States — which want the issue referred immediately to the Security Council — Russian President Vladimir Putin cautioned against making “sharp, erroneous moves … (and) premature statements” regarding punitive UN actions. “I will not allow the foreign ministry to take even one false step,” he said. He added that Iran still could accept a Russian offer to conduct limited uranium enrichment activities with Iran on Russian territory. Such a plan could ensure enrichment did not exceed levels necessary to produce fuel for energy plants. China’s position was less clear. Beijing last week said that a referral to the UN Security Council could “complicate” the situation. China buys much of its oil and gas from Iran. Senior diplomats of all five veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, plus Germany, took part in the talks, which were billed as informal discussions. A British Foreign Office spokesman said at the end of the day the European countries had informed the others they intended to seek a special meeting of the IAEA board of governors in Vienna on February 2-3, where they were expected to urge the board to recommend Iran be referred to the Security Council. The US representative at the meeting, Under-Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, said the United States would welcome Iran being referred to the Security Council.
I agree with you (for once) ak. It’s laughable to think that China and Russia would, in the end, favor Iran over the US & EU in this dispute. It’s just a matter of time, and that nutjob Ahmadinejad is doing a great job speeding things up.
Iran is doing the right thing to stand on its own feet it has the right to produce nuclear energy, it has not broken any laws this is another drama made by the US and the EU who cannot face the facts that another country has the ability to produce a nuclear weapon the hypocrites!
Where does it stop? Iran will get the "Shia Bomb". The Sunni Arabs (Egypt, SA) will counter with the "Sunni Bomb". Not out of protection or necessity, but becauase their machismo will them they have to. Then we have nukes all over the unstable Mideast. The only stability that exists now is because despot rulers keep the fundamentalists in place. All it would take would be some fundamentalist group to overthrow a government than we have unstable whackos that can kill millions with a push of a button. Most of the dead will end up to be Muslims. So really, what's the big deal other than the desire to pretend to be equal to the Big Boys?
The American Jew bluster over Iran its turning out much like what they have threatened against North Korea for all these years, yet not actually stopped that country actually acquiring nukes.
Israel was planning to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities by March if Iran went ahead with its refining process. Now that Iran has done that, lets see what happens in the near future.
**Germany warns against military option in Iran nuclear issue **
German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier here Sunday warned that any thought of using military force against Iran to settle differences in views on the country’s nuclear program would be “dangerous.” Speaking to Germany’s ARD television, Steinmeier moreover said that Europe ought to continue to use diplomacy to try to arrive at a solution to the nuclear issue. Referring to threats issued by certain quarters of the possible use of military force against Iran, he said German policy opposes measures that would escalate tensions. The German foreign minister made the remarks in reponse to the German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung’s view aired on Saturday which insisted on a military solution to the nuclear issue. Meanwhile, the deputy leader of the Greens in the German parliament, Juergen Trittin, in reaction to Jung’s remarks, on Sunday warned of any policy of using military force against Iran. He criticized the German defense minister for “playing with fire” with his view on the Iran nuclear issue, adding it would have negative consequences on the policies of Steinmeier and Chancellor Angela Merkel. Trittin noted that Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Steinmeier were both in favor of the use of non-military ways to settle differences on the issue. He said threats of a military action by German officials would greatly diminish the weight of the country’s stance on the issue.