 New sanctions against Iran inevitable: Canada Ottawa (AFP) March 26, 2010 - New sanctions against Iran are inevitable due to its continued refusal to curb its nuclear ambitions, Canada's top diplomat said Friday. "Unfortunately, I believe we are left with little choice but to pursue additional sanctions against Iran, ideally through the United Nations Security Council," Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon told a media briefing. "At the G8 meeting next week, Iran will be of critical concern," he added. "It's actions raise very serious doubts that its nuclear program is peaceful." Even so, Cannon said he would discuss with his G8 counterparts putting "additional pressure on Iran to persuade it to stop its nuclear enrichment activities and convince the Iranian authorities to come back to the table." On March 29 and 30, Cannon is to host foreign ministers from Germany, the United States, France, Italy, Britain, Russia and Japan, as well as the European Union's chief diplomat to discuss global security. Iran will top the agenda. |
Clinton said the Obama administration had held "constructive talks" with all its partners and in-depth consultations with Russia and other international partners on sanctions.
"We are working on language," Clinton said, after President Barack Obama agreed a new nuclear arms treaty with Russia.
"I believe that you will see increasing activity in the very near future as we work to bring to fruition a resolution that can muster the votes that are necessary in the Security Council."
The United States, Russia, China, Britain and France -- the five veto-wielding permanent UN Security Council members -- plus Germany have led efforts to curb Iran's uranium enrichment program.
However, China is most opposed to a tougher set of sanctions than the three previous rounds.
On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Washington had agreed to soften proposed measures against Iran to win the backing of China and Russia, which had also been seen as less keen to embrace biting sanctions.
The newspaper said proposals that would have effectively closed international airspace and waters to Iranian state-owned air cargo and shipping lines had been scrapped.
The report had "significant inaccuracies," Clinton's spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.
"Since we have not circulated a draft resolution, it's hard to say at this point that we're watering anything down. There's nothing to water down. There's nothing to take off the table," he said.
The parties were simply "trading ideas" at this point on how to draft an appropriate resolution that shows "our shared concern" about Iran's actions, he added.
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