NEW YORK - Foreign ministers of six major powers meet here Monday in a fresh bid to map out a common strategy to force Iran to heeddemands that it halt sensitive nuclear fuel work that could be used for bomb-making. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was to host her counterparts from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia as well European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana at a working dinner that will focus on TeheranÂ’s rejection of repeated UN demands that it halt uranium enrichment.| I thought Russia wasn't sure if there was a problem or not. |
US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton told reporters Saturday that the ministers would “talk about the longer-term policy that we need to pursue to stop Iran from achieving a nuclear weapons capability.” “I think they could have that discussion on the assumption that (the Franco-British) resolution will be adopted next week and that therefore they can look at what the next steps are,” he said after an informal council meeting on the draft. “That avoids them getting down in the engine room with us working on this resolution. It allows them to stay up on the bridge and look ahead,” he said.
Saturday Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said the Franco-British draft, which is backed by the United States and Germany, “requires major changes”. Moscow and Beijing object to the draft’s reference to Chapter Seven of the UN charter and its suggestion that the Iranian nuclear program constitutes a threat to international peace and security. Chapter Seven can authorize economic sanctions or military action as a last resort.