Margaret Beckett, who has just become Britain's first ever female Foreign Secretary, has flown to New York to meet the other permanent members of the UN Security Council - US, China, Russia and France - and France's poodle Germany, to talk about Iran's nuclear ambitions.
The Times May 08, 2006
Beckett's first job is to heal split over Iran
By Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor
Nutcase
resident Ahmadinejad, right, remains defiant
MARGARET BECKETT will be thrown into the deep end of international politics today when her maiden trip as Foreign Secretary takes her to New York for a crucial round of talks on how to curb the nuclear ambitions of Iran.
After three days in the job Mrs Beckett will meet her counterparts from the four other permanent members of the UN Security Council — and Germany — who are locked in bitter dispute over how to proceed. Over the weekend Russia and China made clear their opposition to a resolution, proposed by Britain and France, to force Iran to halt its uranium enrichment work or face the possibility of sanctions.
Iran threatened to quit the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which controls the spread of nuclear technology, if the UN acted against it. The talks tonight — over a dinner that Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, will host — are the culmination of months of delicate diplomacy that Jack Straw, the former Foreign Secretary, was instrumental in developing. The draft resolution is under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, making its demands binding. If Tehran did not comply, it would face the threat of sanctions or military force in a follow-up resolution.
The Bush Administration wants to force a vote on the resolution this week, with or without consensus among all 15 members of the Security Council. Nine votes in favour are needed to pass a resolution, but Russia and China have the right of veto. “We are still working to achieve unanimity . . . but we are prepared to go to a vote without it,” John Bolton, the US envoy to the UN, said.
Moscow and Beijing are resisting any move that could lead to economic sanctions. Sergei Kislyak, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, said that the Anglo-French draft required “major changes” before it would be acceptable to the Kremlin.
Iran showed no sign of halting its uranium enrichment work, and President Ahmadinejad vowed yesterday to ignore any UN action. “They should know that the Iranians will dash their illegitimate resolution against the wall,” he said.
thetimesonline.co.uk
The Times May 08, 2006
Beckett's first job is to heal split over Iran
By Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor
Nutcase
resident Ahmadinejad, right, remains defiant MARGARET BECKETT will be thrown into the deep end of international politics today when her maiden trip as Foreign Secretary takes her to New York for a crucial round of talks on how to curb the nuclear ambitions of Iran.
After three days in the job Mrs Beckett will meet her counterparts from the four other permanent members of the UN Security Council — and Germany — who are locked in bitter dispute over how to proceed. Over the weekend Russia and China made clear their opposition to a resolution, proposed by Britain and France, to force Iran to halt its uranium enrichment work or face the possibility of sanctions.
Iran threatened to quit the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which controls the spread of nuclear technology, if the UN acted against it. The talks tonight — over a dinner that Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, will host — are the culmination of months of delicate diplomacy that Jack Straw, the former Foreign Secretary, was instrumental in developing. The draft resolution is under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, making its demands binding. If Tehran did not comply, it would face the threat of sanctions or military force in a follow-up resolution.
The Bush Administration wants to force a vote on the resolution this week, with or without consensus among all 15 members of the Security Council. Nine votes in favour are needed to pass a resolution, but Russia and China have the right of veto. “We are still working to achieve unanimity . . . but we are prepared to go to a vote without it,” John Bolton, the US envoy to the UN, said.
Moscow and Beijing are resisting any move that could lead to economic sanctions. Sergei Kislyak, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, said that the Anglo-French draft required “major changes” before it would be acceptable to the Kremlin.
Iran showed no sign of halting its uranium enrichment work, and President Ahmadinejad vowed yesterday to ignore any UN action. “They should know that the Iranians will dash their illegitimate resolution against the wall,” he said.
thetimesonline.co.uk
