Rice confident of Iran referral to U.N. Council

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
said on Tuesday she was confident of Russia and China’s support
for sending Iran’s nuclear case to the U.N. Security Council,
but expected differences over exactly what steps to take.

“There is a very strong consensus on what the problem is
and that the problem has to be dealt with. I expect there will
continue to be tactical differences about timing. There may
even be tactical differences about precisely what is required
but that’s the hard work of the diplomacy,” Rice said.

Ministers from the five permanent members of the Security
Council and Germany agreed in London that Thursday’s emergency
meeting of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency should report
Iran’s nuclear dossier to the Council.

“I want there to be no confusion here that a report is a
formal step to the Security Council,” Rice told reporters on
the way home from London. “This is the referral we have been
seeking.”

Russia and China were now expected to vote ‘yes’ on
Thursday instead of abstaining, a senior State Department
official said later. The official asked not to be named, citing
the need not to affect ongoing diplomacy.

And because of the agreement, nuclear power and Iran ally
India, which has indicated it would abstain, will also likely
vote ‘yes,’ he said.

For years, Washington has pushed for Iran’s case to be
referred to the Security Council for possible sanctions.

Iran, which rejects charges it is trying to build a nuclear
bomb, said on Tuesday moves to send its case to the council
were not legally justified and that it would not bow to demands
it halt atomic research and development.

Russia and China, which have economic interests in Iran,
have been reluctant for the International Atomic Energy Agency
to immediately report Tehran to the council and Monday’s dinner
in London went into overtime because of haggling on the issue.

Rice said a compromise was finally reached when it was
agreed that, while the IAEA should send Iran’s case to the
council this week, any action there should be delayed until
after March 6, when the agency’s chief is to deliver a report
on Tehran’s nuclear activities.

“Believe it or not, that took four hours,” said Rice, who
expects Russia and China to continue to pressure Iran.

International concern over Iran peaked this month when Iran
removed U.N. seals on uranium enrichment equipment and resumed
nuclear fuel research.

(With additional reporting by Saul Hudson)