Last update - 02:22 22/02/2008
U.K., Germany, France revise Iran sanctions draft
By Reuters
Britain, France and Germany have revised a sanctions resolution against Iran over its nuclear program and diplomats said yesterday they hoped the United Nations Security Council would vote on the draft next week.
The new resolution was virtually unchanged from an earlier draft about which several council members said they had serious concerns.
"The new draft will be introduced to the full council this afternoon and we hope it will be put to a vote by the end of next week," a diplomat from a Security Council member state told reporters on condition of anonymity.
The draft resolution calls for asset freezes and mandatory travel bans for specific Iranian officials and vigilance on all banks in Iran.
It also expands the list of Iranian officials and companies targeted by the sanctions and repeats the council's demand that Iran halt nuclear enrichment activity, which the West fears is aimed at producing uranium fuel for atomic weapons.
Diplomats said the text has the backing of all five permanent council members - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - and co-drafter Germany.
The changes were minor language adjustments and did not affect the substance of the penalties spelled out in the five-page text.
Diplomats from non-permanent council member states like South Africa, Indonesia and Libya have said they want any resolution voted on by the 15-nation Security Council to reflect a report on Iran from the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna expected to be released today.
Vienna-based diplomats say IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei is expected to say in the report that he has made significant progress in resolving outstanding questions related to Iran's past nuclear activities.
Western countries say the IAEA's investigation of Iran's atomic past is important but has little relevance to the future of Tehran's atomic program.
They say Iran's refusal to comply with Security Council demands that it stop enriching uranium supports their suspicion that Tehran is seeking atomic weapons.
The South Africans and other members of the Non-Aligned Movement say the IAEA's investigation is relevant and insisted that the council postpone the vote until it has the IAEA report.