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http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/iran_sanctions_UN/2007/09/26/36005.html
U.S., Russia Spar Over Iran Sanctions
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
NEW YORK -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov exchanged sharp words Wednesday as the Bush administration
tried to cement support for new U.N. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear
programs.
Rice and Lavrov disagreed on the matter at a German-hosted luncheon of
foreign ministers from the G-8 group of industrialized nations, according to
Lavrov and U.S. and European diplomats present.
The lunch came as Rice and her top aides moved to capitalize on
international frustration with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for
declaring on Tuesday that the nuclear issue is "closed" and vowed to defy
any U.N. Security Council move for more sanctions.
Lavrov told The Associated Press that he had strong words with Rice about
whether the time was right for new sanctions when the U.N.'s nuclear
watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has struck an agreement
with Iran about its past activities.
"We want to rely on IAEA expertise," Lavrov said after the meeting of G-8
members: Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the
United States.
Nicholas Burns, the State Department's No. 3 diplomat, said there had been a
"lengthy discussion" on Iran at the lunch.
"There is a very clear tactical disagreement," he said. "But we are hopeful
that tactical agreement can be overcome."
Burns said Washington supported the IAEA agreement with Iran but stressed
that it focused only on past Iranian activity.
The U.S. accuses Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons, something Tehran
adamantly denies. Iran is already subject to two U.N. sanctions resolutions
as well as a growing number of financial penalties from individual nations,
but China and Russia have been reluctant to agree to a new U.N. resolution.
Earlier, Burns, the under secretary of state for political affairs, had
rebuked Ahmadinejad for his comments to the General Assembly.
"I am sorry to tell President Ahmadinejad that the case is not closed," he
said ahead of a meeting with senior diplomats from the five permanent
Security Council members and Germany to craft elements of a new sanctions
resolution.
"We're going to keep going," Burns told reporters. "If Mr. Ahmadinejad
thinks somehow that he has been given a pass, he is mistaken about that."
Burns' talks over dinner with diplomats from Russia, China, Britain,
France - the other permanent Security Council members - and Germany will set
the stage for a second meeting on Thursday and then one between Rice and the
group's other foreign ministers on Friday when the resolution is expected to
be further defined.
However, he said it is unlikely that the text of a new resolution will be
agreed to this week.
As Burns spoke, Rice was assuring Iran's wary neighbors in the Persian Gulf
of U.S. backing to improve their defenses against a "hegemonistic Iran"
through proposed multibillion-dollar arms sales, a senior State Department
official told reporters.
In a meeting with the foreign ministers of the six-member Gulf Cooperation
Council - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates - along with Egypt and Jordan, Rice heard deep fears about Iranian
attempts to dominate the region, the official said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a private
diplomatic exchange, said all eight countries told Rice that "they are not
going to surrender to Iranian hegemony."
The Bush administration is in discussions with the Saudis and its other
allies in the Gulf to prepare arms sales packages worth about $20 billion
despite concern from some in Congress that they could destabilize the region
and hurt Israeli security interests.
The senior State Department official said that details of the proposed sales
were not discussed on Wednesday but that Rice told the Gulf ministers they
could count on solid U.S. support.
Among ideas being considered for the new sanctions resolution against Iran
are widening existing financial sanctions on Iranian entities and possible
diplomatic measures, officials said.
The Bush administration is considering wide-ranging sanctions against the
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds force, which is accused of
supporting insurgents in Iraq, by naming it an international terrorist
group.
The Senate on Wednesday voted 76-22 in favor of a resolution urging the
State Department to designate the corps as a terrorist organization.
U.S., Russia Spar Over Iran Sanctions
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
NEW YORK -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov exchanged sharp words Wednesday as the Bush administration
tried to cement support for new U.N. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear
programs.
Rice and Lavrov disagreed on the matter at a German-hosted luncheon of
foreign ministers from the G-8 group of industrialized nations, according to
Lavrov and U.S. and European diplomats present.
The lunch came as Rice and her top aides moved to capitalize on
international frustration with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for
declaring on Tuesday that the nuclear issue is "closed" and vowed to defy
any U.N. Security Council move for more sanctions.
Lavrov told The Associated Press that he had strong words with Rice about
whether the time was right for new sanctions when the U.N.'s nuclear
watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has struck an agreement
with Iran about its past activities.
"We want to rely on IAEA expertise," Lavrov said after the meeting of G-8
members: Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the
United States.
Nicholas Burns, the State Department's No. 3 diplomat, said there had been a
"lengthy discussion" on Iran at the lunch.
"There is a very clear tactical disagreement," he said. "But we are hopeful
that tactical agreement can be overcome."
Burns said Washington supported the IAEA agreement with Iran but stressed
that it focused only on past Iranian activity.
The U.S. accuses Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons, something Tehran
adamantly denies. Iran is already subject to two U.N. sanctions resolutions
as well as a growing number of financial penalties from individual nations,
but China and Russia have been reluctant to agree to a new U.N. resolution.
Earlier, Burns, the under secretary of state for political affairs, had
rebuked Ahmadinejad for his comments to the General Assembly.
"I am sorry to tell President Ahmadinejad that the case is not closed," he
said ahead of a meeting with senior diplomats from the five permanent
Security Council members and Germany to craft elements of a new sanctions
resolution.
"We're going to keep going," Burns told reporters. "If Mr. Ahmadinejad
thinks somehow that he has been given a pass, he is mistaken about that."
Burns' talks over dinner with diplomats from Russia, China, Britain,
France - the other permanent Security Council members - and Germany will set
the stage for a second meeting on Thursday and then one between Rice and the
group's other foreign ministers on Friday when the resolution is expected to
be further defined.
However, he said it is unlikely that the text of a new resolution will be
agreed to this week.
As Burns spoke, Rice was assuring Iran's wary neighbors in the Persian Gulf
of U.S. backing to improve their defenses against a "hegemonistic Iran"
through proposed multibillion-dollar arms sales, a senior State Department
official told reporters.
In a meeting with the foreign ministers of the six-member Gulf Cooperation
Council - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates - along with Egypt and Jordan, Rice heard deep fears about Iranian
attempts to dominate the region, the official said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a private
diplomatic exchange, said all eight countries told Rice that "they are not
going to surrender to Iranian hegemony."
The Bush administration is in discussions with the Saudis and its other
allies in the Gulf to prepare arms sales packages worth about $20 billion
despite concern from some in Congress that they could destabilize the region
and hurt Israeli security interests.
The senior State Department official said that details of the proposed sales
were not discussed on Wednesday but that Rice told the Gulf ministers they
could count on solid U.S. support.
Among ideas being considered for the new sanctions resolution against Iran
are widening existing financial sanctions on Iranian entities and possible
diplomatic measures, officials said.
The Bush administration is considering wide-ranging sanctions against the
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds force, which is accused of
supporting insurgents in Iraq, by naming it an international terrorist
group.
The Senate on Wednesday voted 76-22 in favor of a resolution urging the
State Department to designate the corps as a terrorist organization.
