World Powers Meet on Iran

World Powers Meet on Iran, from  Insights Into Today's Middle East

EXPERT SOURCES AND INFORMATION

On January 22, 2008, the Foreign Ministers of China, France, Britain, Russia and Germany as well as U.S. Secretary of State will meet in Berlin to discuss strategies concerning the threat of Iran. High ranking diplomats from the six countries have been trying to agree on a tightening of existing sanctions for the past few weeks but remain unsuccessful, primarily due to the resistance of China and Russia. [1]

The pressure for new sanctions mounted after the collapse of an 18-month EU effort to persuade Iran to stop uranium enrichment on November 30th, 2007. The U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions in December 2006 and March 2007. The current set of resolutions bans Iranian arms exports and freezes the assets of 28 people and groups involved in its nuclear and missile programs. [2]

Previous resolutions and sanctions

On December 18, 2003, under international pressure, Iran signed the additional protocol of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. It therefore has the duty to cooperate with the IAEA in all issues related to its nuclear programme. In 2002 it became known that Iran secretly operates a nuclear programme for almost two decades. This is regarded as a heavy violation of international law. Despite many diplomatic attempts from international actors and diplomatic and economic sanctions Iran does not meet IAEA demands for transparency, cooperation and sharing information about its nuclear programme. Iran has not suspended the enrichment of Uranium until today.

Germany, France and UK started additional negotiations trying to stop Iran from enriching Uranium and engaging it into a dialog. In a statement from June 2006 called "Elements of a revised proposal to Iran" [3] which was joined by U.S., Russia and China, they offered Iran a broad economic, political and nuclear cooperation under the condition that Iran will suspend its uranium enrichment process. Since Iran does not comply with the demands, EU3/EU+3 will call for a poll about further sanctions against Iran in the UN Security Council presumably in late January or February 2008.

• In February of 2006, the IAEA votes to report Iran to the UN Security Council.

• On December 23, 2006, the 15-member Security Council unanimously adopts a binding resolution that calls on Iran to suspend its uranium-enrichment activities and to comply with its IAEA obligations. Resolution 1737 directs all states to prevent the supply or sale to Iran of any materials that could assist its nuclear or ballistic-missile programmes. It also imposes an asset freeze on key companies and individuals named by the UN as contributors to Iran's nuclear and missile programmes. Iran rejects the move as an "invalid" and "extralegal act" outside the bounds of the UN's charter.

• On March 24, 2007 the members of the U.N. Security Council agreed on a new resolution, 1747. The new draft text includes an expansion of the sanctions that existed in previous resolutions, including a complete arms embargo of sales, transfer, or supply by Iran of any weapon anywhere to anyone. [4]

EXPERT SOURCES & INFORMATION
Nonproliferation, Nuclear Terrorism and Sanctions


Franck Debié (France)
Chief Executive Director of the Foundation for Political Innovation, Paris
Expertise: European policies towards terrorism, energy supply and rise of new powers in the international arena
Tel: +33 (1) 47 53 67 00
Email: franck.debie@fondapol.org
URL: http://www.fondapol.org

Dr. Matthias Küntzel (Germany)
Author and political scientist, Hamburg
Expertise: Nonproliferation and Europe's policy towards Iran
Tel: +49 (4533) 204533
Email: matkuentzel@aol.com
URL: http://matthiaskuentzel.de

Dr. Victor Mizin (Russia)
Vice-President of the Moscow-based Center for Strategic Assessments
Expertise: Arms control, Nonproliferation and global security
Email: drvmizin@hotmail.com

Claude Moniquet (France)
Director of the European Strategic and Intelligence Center (ESISC), Brussels
Expertise: International Terrorism and their European connections
Tel: +32 (478) 288812
Email: esisc@esisc.org
URL: http://www.esisc.org/

Brad Sherman (U.S.)
Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA)
Expertise: International Terrorism and Nonproliferation
Tel: +1 (202) 225-5911
URL: http://www.house.gov/sherman

Prof. Peter Zimmerman (UK)
Professor of Science and Security, King's College London
Expertise: Nuclear weapons, Nonproliferation
Tel: +1 (703) 759-0600
Email: peter.zimmerman@cox.net
  

 

References

[1] Wetzel, Hubert: „Minister beraten in Berlin über härtere Iran-Sanktionen,“ Financial Times Deutschland, January 16, 2008

[2] Tetrel, Sophie: „French Official: Iran Resolution Near,“ Asscociated Press, December 1, 2007

[3] http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/de/Aussenpolitik/Themen/Abruestung/IranNukes/IranProposals-Juni06.pdf

[4] „Security Council to vote on Iran resolution Saturday,“ Xinhua, March 23, 2007                 

Comments

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