China says favors more nuclear diplomacy with Iran
Laptop Battery Tuesday, 24th January 2006
By Chris Buckley
Iran Focus Tehran, Iran, Jan. Iran said on Sunday that it would not bow to international pressure over its nuclear program, run news agency IRNA reported. Javad Vaeedi, Deputy Head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and senior nuclear negotiator, told IRNA that the Islamic Republic "will not make any compromise through a diplomacy of force and pressure".
Thinkpad
BEIJING (Reuters) - China is "conscientiously studying" a
draft EU proposal to threaten Iran with sanctions for its nuclear
activities, but favors defusing the dispute through negotiations, a
spokesman said on Tuesday.
"Iran's current attitude is a source of worry for the region and the international community, " Chirac said. "Moreover, Iran is following a worrying missiles programme." The United States, which accuses Tehran of seeking atomic bombs, failed on Tuesday to secure international support for targeted sanctions against Iran and President George W. Bush refused to rule out nuclear strikes if diplomacy failed to curb the Islamic Republic's nuclear ambitions.
Microsoft Britain, Germany and France -- the EU3 -- have circulated a
draft proposal to authorize the International Atomic Energy Agency
to refer Iran to the U.N.
Security Council for possible
sanctions.
"Iran intends to enjoy its rights in a peaceful way and within the framework of international regulations", Vaeedi said. "They used the same propaganda ploy over resumption of nuclear work at Isfahan's Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF). "We believe the European diplomacy can still work although certain problems remain", he said, adding, "Resumption of nuclear research in Iran has nothing to do with atomic fuel production in Natanz.
Laptop Computers The IAEA meets on February 2 to discuss Iran's nuclear program,
and China is a key player, because it could use its veto power as a
permanent member of the
Security Council to scuttle any
sanctions.
Washington and its EU allies say it is time the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency sent Iran's case to the U.N. Security Council, which could eventually decide to impose sanctions on Iran. China has demurred, saying it would like talks between Iran and the EU trio to resume, but has not said it will try to block any move to report Iran to the Council. Russia, while sharing China's opposition to U.N. sanctions on Iran, has moved closer to the West's view on referral.
Laptop Computer A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, Kong Quan, said his
country has "noted the considerations" of the European
countries.
"China hopes Iran can as soon as possible resume negotiations with the European Union and negotiations with Russia, " he said on the sidelines of China's annual session of parliament. "The important thing is to peacefully and properly resolve the problem through diplomatic means, " he said. Iran says it is seeking nuclear technology for electricity, but Germany, France and Britain said it had offered no ideas at meetings last week on how to allay concerns that its real intention is to develop nuclear weapons.
Desktop Computer "But on the other hand, we believe that further applying
diplomatic efforts, and diplomatic means to resolve the Iranian
nuclear issue, remains a relatively suitable and better option,"
Kong told reporters at a regular briefing.
Notebooks He called on the countries to "do their utmost to return to the
negotiating track."
Lenovo Chinese officials also planned to discuss Iran with the U.S.
Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, who arrived in Beijing
on Monday for a three-day visit to China. But Kong offered no
details of those talks.
Hard Drive ENERGY SECURITY THREAT
Travelstar In Tokyo on Monday, Zoellick told reporters that Iran's nuclear
program threatened China's energy security.
Gateway "It poses a threat not only in terms of security terms, but in
my view, given the reliance of Japan, China and others on energy
from the region, it poses some danger to energy security over
time," he said.
Laptop Parts About 12 percent of China's oil imports in 2005 came from Iran,
and the two countries have signed several oil and gas deals.
Software Zoellick said in Tokyo that there was a "pretty good posture"
for referring the issue to the Security Council given the
composition of the IAEA board.
Hard Drives "If you look at the countries that are members of the IAEA
board, I think we are in a pretty good posture about pursuing a
referral," he said..
Electronics But a Chinese scholar familiar with policymakers said China was
likely to quietly resist attempts to impose U.N. sanctions on
Iran.
Canon China believes that North Korea, which announced it was leaving
the Non-Proliferation Treaty in early 2003 after mounting
international pressure over its nuclear program, shows the dangers
of sanctions brinkmanship, said the scholar, who asked not to be
identified.
Desktop Pc Six-party talks between China, the
United States, North Korea, South
Korea, Japan and Russia have so far failed to end North Korea's
nuclear program.
Desktop Computers "China's experience with North Korea teaches it not to push,"
said the scholar. "And Iran is not North Korea. It has something
crucial. North Korea is not even exporting shoes," he said,
referring to Iran's oil
exports.
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