Ahmadinejad due in China after sanctions slap

CHINA: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was due in China yesterday after the UN Security Council slapped Tehran with fresh sanctions over its nuclear programme a move backed by Beijing.

Ahmadinejad was to arrive in Shanghai for a visit officially focused on the World Expo, but unusually strong criticism of Beijing by Iran's atomic chief could cast a shadow over the trip.

The Security Council adopted a US-drafted resolution hitting Tehran with new military and financial sanctions measures which Ahmadinejad likened to "a used hanky which should be thrown in the dustbin". China, an ally of Tehran and one of the Islamic republic's major trading partners in recent years, was long reluctant to sign on to the sanctions, and its UN envoy reiterated Wednesday that the door to talks was still open.

"The new resolution is aimed at bringing Iran back to the negotiating table and activate a new round of diplomatic efforts," the ambassador, Li Baodong, was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.

In a rare rebuke, Tehran hit out at Beijing for finally backing the sanctions. Shanghai, Thursday, AFP