Countries fail to agree on Iran

ISN SECURITY WATCH (Tuesday, 21 March: 14.30 CET) –Even though they failed to agree on a strategy before adjourning, officials from six nations agreed to continue discussions on urging Iran to comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) demands.

Representatives from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the US met yesterday at the British UN mission in New York to discuss developing a long-term strategy for dealing with Iran.

The group is drafting a statement to request that Iran stop uranium enrichment.

According to news reports, discussions were tense due to objections from China and Russia. The two countries disagreed with the firm stance that has been taken by the four other countries.

Russia and China want the IAEA to take on the main role of urging Iran to abandon uranium enrichment. The process could be used to make nuclear energy or nuclear weapons. The two countries said that being too hard on Iran could be the catalyst for the country withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. It could also lead to the Islamic republic kicking out the arms inspectors.

Britain, France, Germany, and the US want to call on Iran to give up enrichment immediately and give a report in two weeks.

Iran says that it has the right to nuclear research. The Western countries on the panel believe that that is a prelude to developing nuclear weapons.

The full UN Security Council, in front of which the statement will be presented when finished, is scheduled to meet later today.

All of the countries, except Germany, have veto power on the council.