| Ander Nieuws week 16 / Midden-Oosten 2010 |
Financial Times
April 6 2010
Harvey Morris at the United Nations
The United Nations Security Council yesterday failed to include Iran's nuclear programme on its agenda for April, underlining the likely slow road to sanctions that Barack Obama, US president, had hoped to have in place "within weeks".
Japan's Yukio Takasu, this month's president of the 15-member council, said no meeting had been scheduled because it was not yet clear "when this might be taken up. It may not be taken up".
Mr Obama, buoyed by what Washington officials perceived as a shift in China's attitude towards imposing fresh sanctions on Iran, said a week ago that he wanted to see a fourth round of UN measures in place within weeks.
China had insisted that further time should be given for a diplomatic solution to the nuclear stand-off. But western diplomats said that Beijing was now ready to engage on the sanctions issue by attending talks in New York among ambassadors of the so-called P5 plus one - the five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany.
Chinese officials have been circumspect and the talks, which could be a prelude to Beijing accepting increased pressure on Iran, have yet to be scheduled.
Mr Takasu said yesterday that, even if the P5 plus one eventually agreed a package of proposed sanctions, it would be "highly desirable" for the 10 nonpermanent members of the council, including Japan, to also be consulted. "It's the intention of the concerned countries to have a resolution in the Security Council," said Mr Takasu, whose country has supported previous sanctions measures. "How soon and how we will be consulted, we will have to wait and see."
Diplomats conceded that, assuming China agreed in principle to sanctions, it could take weeks to negotiate the text of a resolution that it, Russia and several non-permanent members of the council might find acceptable.
There are a number of reasons the US and its western partners would like to squeeze through a binding resolution before the end of the month. Next month's presidency will be held by Lebanon, a non-permanent member that would almost certainly abstain in a sanctions vote, given the sensitivities of a domestic political landscape that includes the Iranian-backed Hizbollah.
Much of May will also be taken up by a review conference in New York of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran is a signatory and might use the opportunity to win support from developing countries for its argument that it is being victimised by western states over what it claims is a civilian nuclear programme.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010
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| Ander Nieuws week 16 / Midden-Oosten 2010 |