Nations fail to agree Iran nuclear sanctions plan

FRANCE: Six world powers failed on Tuesday to agree a draft U.N. resolution to slap sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme, and after months of haggling France said several key differences remain between the West and Russia.

With agreement still proving elusive at talks between senior officials in Paris, France, Britain and Germany felt the time had come to move their negotiations back to the United Nations in New York in a last push to broker a deal.

"We made substantive progress on the scope of the sanctions, targeting proliferation-sensitive activities. There remain several outstanding issues, on which we will reflect over the coming days," France's foreign ministry said in a statement.

In the talks, France, Germany and Britain told Russia they want a U.N. resolution on sanctions to be passed by the end of the year, an EU diplomat said.

After forcing the Europeans to water down their sanctions plans over the past weeks and spurning tough measures against Iran, the Russians indicated a compromise might be possible, prompting Tuesday's hastily arranged talks.

Yet the Europeans, the United States, Russia and China remained divided over the proposed bans on exports of sensitive materials, an assets freeze and travel ban on individuals and groups involved in Iran's nuclear programme.

The sanctions would be a first phase of punishment against Iran for its failure to comply with an Aug. 31 U.N. deadline to suspend uranium enrichment, which can produce fuel for nuclear power plants or bombs.

Iran denies Western charges that its nuclear programme is a cover for an atomic weapons programme but was ordered by the Security Council to freeze enrichment for failing to convince the world that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.

PARIS, Wednesday, Reuters