Senior officials from the United States, Britain, France,
Russia, China and Germany will meet early next week to discuss
sanctions against Iran, the State Department said on Wednesday.
US Undersecretary for Political Affairs Nick Burns "is going to
be traveling to Europe, I believe, next week, early next week. That
would probably be the first convocation of that group (of major
nations) looking at specific language for a resolution," State
Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
McCormack gave no time or city for the meeting but diplomats
said it could be Berlin or Vienna.
The spokesman said the resolution must send a "substantial
signal ... that the international community means what it says" by
beginning to impose sanctions of increasing intensity on Iran, as
promised by the major nations last June.
The UN Security Council ordered Iran in July to suspend its
uranium enrichment -- a process which can produce fuel for civilian
reactors or material for nuclear bombs by Aug. 31 and cooperate
with inspectors or face consequences.
If Iran complied, US officials said they were prepared to join
talks on Iran's nuclear program and the possibility of future
cooperation. They also warned that they are determined to impose
sanctions against Tehran if it fails to comply, even though Russia
and other nations seem reluctant to participate.
Iran has vowed not to stop its nuclear activities, which it
contends are for generating electricity.
"We've seen no indication that Iran intends to comply with the
UN Security Council's condition of suspending its nuclear program,"
Burns told the Washington Post in an interview.
"Should it not comply by Thursday, and should the IAEA report
confirm Iran's continued efforts to enrich uranium, the US will
move to begin sanctions discussion at the United Nations, and we
expect a sanctions resolution to be passed," Burns said.
(Xinhua News Agency August 31, 2006)
