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| French: UN close to new sanctions on Iran |
| 2009-12-11 |
| The UN no longer has any reason to wait to consider new sanctions on Iran if it does not respond to concerns over its nuclear programme, France says. If Iran continued to ignore demands, "we must draw all of the necessary conclusions" and move to sanctions, French Ambassador Gerard Araud said. Mr Araud spoke after a report said Iran was trying to defy some of the curbs. The head of the UN panel which monitors a 2007 ban on Iranian arms exports told the Security Council there was "an apparent pattern of sanctions violations" by Iran over the past three months. "If Iran continues to do everything it can to violate five Security Council resolutions, if it continues to refuse the slightest confidence measures, to refuse dialogue, transparency after the major revelations that have just been made, we must draw all of the necessary conclusions and that means we must move on to a new resolution involving sanctions," said Mr Araud. Should Iran continue to fail to meet its obligations, the international community will have to consider further actions US ambassador Susan Rice said that while her country still sought a diplomatic solution to the crisis through engagement with Iran, "time is short". "Should Iran continue to fail to meet its obligations, the international community will have to consider further actions," she said. British ambassador Mark Grant said discussions about fresh sanctions would start "at the beginning of the new year" unless Iran responded positively before then. Russia however reiterated its position that it was not seeking further punitive measures against Iran. "This language of sanctions, it is not our language. It has already been said many times," foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #7 No. Iran sanctions are clearly the core of what we want out of the reset, at least in the short term, and there was almost zero chance the admin would push for sanctions on Iran before December, since they were committed,rightly or wrongly, to trying engagement first. We will soon see what the result is, I think. If Russia does not come through, then those who said the whole reset was a mistake, will be entitled to say they were right on this issue. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2009-12-11 12:20 |
| #6 LH, If Putin DOES veto, and blocks sanctions, that would call into question the US reset on Russia policy. Where to begin? Did you leave off a "sarc" tag? |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2009-12-11 11:53 |
| #5 You'll know it's serious if it's delivered by B-2. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-12-11 09:04 |
| #4 It will likely be real, if not crippling, economic sanctions, maybe even a gasoline embargo? If it were not, the Russians wouldn't be so exercised about it. Is Putin willing to cast a veto, backed up only by China? "This language of sanctions, it is not our language" Seems to me that could be reconciled with abstaining on the UNSC vote. If Putin DOES veto, and blocks sanctions, that would call into question the US reset on Russia policy. I don't know that there is really a plan B on Russia. |
| Posted by: liberal hawk 2009-12-11 09:01 |
| #3 You'll know it's serious if they send it via overnight delivery. |
| Posted by: lotp 2009-12-11 06:45 |
| #2 Ooooh, a new stern (but very politely worded) note from the UN. THAT will do it, I'm sure of it. Take that, Iran! (/sarc) |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2009-12-11 04:08 |
| #1 Oh, please. |
| Posted by: mojo 2009-12-11 01:58 |