The UN Security Council rescheduled a delayed vote on a European
draft resolution imposing sanctions against Iran over its
unyielding nuclear program till today.
Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser of Qatar, Council President for
December, said on Friday the council is expected to take action on
this morning.
A UN diplomat said on condition of anonymity that the five
nations - the United States, China, Britain, France and Germany -
who hold consultation with Russia on the resolution are waiting for
the final decision of Moscow.
Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Thursday that there
were still "two or three" difficult issues unsolved, calling for
"further thinking and maybe further discussion of the draft
resolution."
The six major nations will hold consultation as soon as they get
the latest amendment of Russia, and may go to vote as early as
Today, the diplomat said.
The draft, originally set to vote on Friday, is sponsored by
Britain, France and Germany. It would slap a ban on imports and
exports of materials and technology relating to uranium enrichment,
reprocessing and heavy-water reactors, as well as ballistic missile
delivery systems.
However, the Europeans made a number of changes to the draft to
meet Russian concerns, including watered down a contentious
proposal for a travel ban on some Iranian officials directly linked
to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
(Xinhua News Agency December 23, 2006)
