Russia rejects UN sanctions against Iran

By Ron Popeski

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia rejected on Friday any talk for
now of sanctions against Iran and France warned against
conflict with Tehran, raising doubts whether it will face swift
penalties for not halting nuclear work by an August 31
deadline.

Responding to an offer of economic incentives to stop
enriching uranium, Iran hinted to six world powers on Tuesday
it could rein in its program as a result of talks to implement
the package — but not as a precondition as they demand.

The reply seemed tailored to crack the brittle united front
of four Western powers and Russia and China who agreed to the
U.N. deadline. The West sees Iran’s nuclear drive as a threat
to peace. Russia and China are unconvinced.

“I know of no instances in world practice and previous
experience in which sanctions have achieved their aim and
proved effective,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told
reporters during a trip to Russia’s far east.

“Moreover, I believe that the question is not so serious at
the moment for the U.N. Security Council or the group of six to
consider any introduction of sanctions. Russia stands for
further political and diplomatic efforts to settle the issue.”

Ivanov is seen as close to President Vladimir Putin.

The United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and
China engineered a Security Council resolution telling Iran to
suspend nuclear enrichment by August 31 or risk sanctions.

U.S., French and German leaders said Iran’s 21-page
response to the incentives offer was unsatisfactory because it
did not specifically agree to stop purifying uranium.

Washington has said the six powers will move quickly to
adopt sanctions if Iran disregards the deadline. But Britain,
Germany and France have been less conclusive in public.

Russia and China, both trade partners of Iran, have been
unwilling and could veto sanctions in the Council.

French President Jacques Chirac, speaking after a meeting
with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris, said Iran’s
response was “ambiguous.”

“For the moment, it (the Iranian response) is not
satisfactory,” French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy
said on RTL radio, but added it was important to avoid
escalating conflict with Iran and the Muslim world.

NO “CONFRONTATION”

“The worst thing would be to escalate into a confrontation
(between the West and) Iran on the one hand, and the Muslim
world with Iran. That would be the clash of civilizations that
France today is practically alone in trying to avoid,” he said.

U.S. and British forces that overthrew Iraq’s Saddam
Hussein in 2003 are now mired in an Islamist insurgency. Israel
recently waged an inconclusive war with Lebanon’s Hizbollah
guerrillas. Both conflicts are widely seen to have strengthened
Iran.

Bloodshed between Israel and the Palestinians under an
Islamist Hamas government festers on.

British U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said: “On Iran, I
don’t think I would expect very much imminently in the
Council.”

He told reporters in New York that the Council was awaiting
a U.N. nuclear watchdog report due on August 31 that will
certify whether Iran has stopped enrichment-related activity or
not.

“Once we get that, we then need to discuss the way forward.
But we need to give a measured consideration to what has been
sent to us by Iran — quite clearly something which is short of
what the Council is looking for,” he said.

“So we need to think carefully about how we respond to
that,” he added, pointedly dodging comment when asked whether
London was working on a sanctions resolution.

Some analysts believe Arab and Muslim world anger over
Washington’s perceived slowness to curb Israel’s anti-Hizbollah
blitz, which killed mainly civilians, could erode support in
the 15-member Security Council for a showdown with Iran.

Iran says it wants nuclear energy solely for its economy.
Western leaders suspect a disguised effort to build atom bombs,
although most analysts believe Tehran remains 3-10 years away
from mastering the requisite technology.

Mark Fitzpatrick at the International Institute for
Strategic Studies said Russia’s stance seemed to contradict the
intention of the Council resolution.

“I’m sure there will be high-level talks on whether there
is some formula regarding sequencing of suspension” based on
Iran’s hint it could stop enrichment as the upshot of
incentives talks.

“The question is whether there is a basis to fudge the
sequencing — that is, Iran commits to suspension after a very
short time period of negotiations. I don’t know if that would
be enough for (the West),” he said.

(Additional reporting by Mark Heinrich in Vienna, Anna
Willard in Paris and Irwin Arieff at the United Nations)