U.S., EU Fail to Persuade Russia on Iran

Reuters:

Top officials from the United States, European Union, Canada and Japan failed to persuade Russia that Iran's nuclear programme should be reported to the U.N. Security Council, an EU diplomat said on Tuesday.

The diplomat was summarising discussions on Iran at a dinner meeting of foreign ministers from the so-called Group of Eight (G8) countries -- the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Russia.

"Russia still sees room for diplomacy in Vienna," the EU diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity. The dinner meeting took place on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. READ MORE

He said Russia remained convinced that scrutiny of Tehran's nuclear programme, which Washington and the EU suspect is a front for developing atomic weapons, was a matter for the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and not the Security Council, which could impose economic sanctions.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is intended solely for the peaceful generation of electricity and has threatened to curtail cooperation with the IAEA if its case was brought before the Security Council.

The diplomat said the other G8 countries would continue trying to persuade the Russians that it was necessary to report Iran to the U.N.'s highest body for hiding its uranium enrichment programme for 18 years and failing to cooperate with the nearly three-year old IAEA investigation.

"The question now is to keep the momentum going," the diplomat said.

Britain, France and Germany have already circulated "elements of a resolution" among some members of the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors, which began a week-long meeting on Monday, to bring Iran's case to the Council, diplomats said.

Two EU diplomats said the draft -- circulated to some IAEA board members -- urged the board to report Iran's past "breaches and failures to comply with its NPT safeguards agreement" to the Security Council, which can impose economic sanctions.

If a country is found in breach of the 1968 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the IAEA is obliged to notify the Security Council, according to the IAEA Statute.