Global General

Deal on Iran sanctions near

By Ai Yang and Wu Jiao (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-19 08:12
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BEIJING / Washington - United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that the US, Russia and China have reached agreement on a draft resolution on sanctions on Iran.

The agreement follows quickly on the heels of an Iranian deal to swap its controversial enriched uranium with Turkey.

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"We have reached agreement on a strong draft with the cooperation of Russia and China," Clinton said of talks among the five permanent Security Council members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - as well as Germany.

The draft would be circulated at the UN Security Council later in the day.

The US and other Western countries have been accusing Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons, a charge always denied by Iran.

In a move to defuse some of the pressure surrounding its nuclear program, Iran, Turkey and Brazil proposed on Monday to send 1,200 kg of its 3.5 percent enriched uranium to Ankara in exchange for 120 kg of 20 percent uranium, for use in a reactor that makes isotopes for treating cancer patients, Iran's Press TV reported.

Brazil and Turkey also hailed the deal, describing it as a victory and calling for flexibility from the West.

"China attaches importance to and welcomes the trio's agreement, and hopes that it will help solve the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said on Tuesday, adding China considers dialogue and negotiations the best solution.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner initially said he welcomed the three-way agreement, but his office later said it "does nothing to settle the problem posed by the Iranian nuclear program", while Britain's new Foreign Secretary William Hague said the deal could be an Iranian delaying tactic, the Guardian reported.

"Strategically, the US is now facing more pressure and opposing voices. The talks for sanctions are not likely to halt," said Zhang Xiaodong, deputy head of the Chinese Association for Middle East Studies.

"Washington will likely press Teheran for more compromises next, such as demanding more transparency and explanation for its nuclear facilities," said Zhang, adding that it is up to Teheran and Washington to deliver solutions, and the pressure is being taken off Beijing.

Iran, sanctioned three times in the past by the UN, says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

In the new statement, Teheran said it had the right to produce enriched uranium to 20 percent, which worries the West because it is closer to weapon-grade fuel.

The West estimates Iran has 2,100 kg of enriched uranium, and even after a transfer of 1,200 kg as stated in the deal there would still be 900 kg left, said Li Guofu, a researcher with China Institute of International Studies.

In the meantime, Turkey said it would withdraw from the fuel swap deal if the West imposes a new round of sanctions on Iran, the Doha-based al-Jazeera news channel reported on Tuesday.