China made clear on Monday that any reference to possible sanctions or war should be eliminated from a U.N. resolution ordering Tehran to curb its nuclear program. China's U.N. ambassador, Wang Guangya, spoke before his own foreign minister and those of Russia, Britain, France and Germany were to have dinner in New York with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Iran is the main topic.
Moscow and Beijing want a resolution but oppose invoking Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which is used routinely in dozens of Security Council resolutions for peacekeeping missions and other legally-binding actions. The United States, France and Britain insist on Chapter 7. It allows for sanctions and even war, but a separate resolution would be required to invoke further steps of that nature. Britain's U.N. ambassador, Emyr Jones Parry, said if the ministers could agree "that the suspension would be mandatory" then U.N. ambassadors "could sort out the means."
Russia and China, which have veto power in the 15-nation Security Council, fear too much pressure on Iran would be self-defeating or precipitate an oil crisis. Both worry the United States would use a resolution under Chapter 7 to justify military action. "My position is clear, because Chapter 7 is about enforcement measures," Wang told reporters. "My understanding is that a resolution of the Security Council is itself legally binding, so all the parties have to implement Security Council resolutions." But he said China, which rarely uses it veto power, was "not thinking about a veto."
IMPASSE
One potential solution to the impasse, proposed by Russia, diplomats said, would be to limit references to one or two paragraphs of Chapter 7 as well as cut any reference to Iran being a threat to international peace and security.
But U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said, Chapter 7 was necessary. "That's why the draft is written the way it is ... and that's what we've been sticking with." France and Britain, authors of the U.S.-backed draft the council is discussing, said they were prepared to bring the measure to a vote this week, even without Russian or Chinese backing. But abstentions by either nation would show disunity.
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