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PARIS - Six world powers failed today to agree a draft UN resolution to slap sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.
With agreement still proving elusive at talks between senior officials in Paris, France, Britain and Germany felt the time had come to move their negotiations back to the United Nations in New York in a last push to broker a deal.
"We made substantive progress on the scope of the sanctions, targeting proliferation-sensitive activities. There remain several outstanding issues, on which we will reflect over the coming days," France's foreign ministry said in a statement.
In the talks, France, Germany and Britain told Russia they want a UN resolution on sanctions to be passed by the end of the year, an EU diplomat said.
After forcing the Europeans to water down their sanctions plans over the past weeks and spurning tough measures against Iran, the Russians indicated a compromise might be possible, prompting Tuesday's hastily arranged talks.
Yet the Europeans, the United States, Russia and China remained divided over the proposed bans on exports of sensitive materials, an assets freeze and travel ban on individuals and groups involved in Iran's nuclear program.
The sanctions would be a first phase of punishment against Iran for its failure to comply with an August 31 UN deadline to suspend uranium enrichment, which can produce fuel for nuclear power plants or bombs.
Iran denies Western charges that its nuclear program is a cover for an atomic weapons program but was ordered by the Security Council to freeze enrichment for failing to convince the world that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.
Despite the failure to reach agreement after its foreign minister said he thought a breakthrough was possible, France also sought to remain upbeat.
"We all agree on the necessity of adopting an effective resolution. We are now close to a conclusion of this process. The next step will be in New York," the foreign ministry said.
Credibility
In Washington, Robert Gates, who has been nominated to replace Donald Rumsfeld as US defence secretary, said military action against Iran would be "an absolute last resort" and diplomacy should be used first.
Gates also said he thought that Iran was trying to acquire nuclear weapons.
The European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Europeans had told the Russians they wanted a resolution on sanctions passed by the end of the year or else they would lose credibility.
"We had hoped that this discussion would enable us to move forward rather substantially and to be honest that was not the case," he said.
"We have indicated to them that for the credibility of our action, and for the credibility of the (Security) Council's action, we now need a decision by the end of the year," he said.
EU diplomats say the sanctions called for in the text will be largely symbolic but that unanimous approval of even mild sanctions will send a strong signal to Tehran that the world is determined to stop Iran obtaining nuclear arms.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country would consider it an act of "enmity" if France, Britain and Germany tried to block Tehran's nuclear development and would reconsider ties with them.
"If you insist on your path against the Iranian nation's right, the Iranian nation will count it as enmity against the Iranian nation and the Iranian nation will reconsider its relation to you," he said in Sari, northern Iran.
- REUTERS
