Britain, France and Germany agreed yesterday to water down their draft
resolution imposing sanctions on Iran for its unyielding nuclear program, trying
to push for a vote on Friday.
The latest text, a copy of which was obtained by Xinhua, urging nations to
notify the sanction committee of the Security Council of the travel of Iranian
officials on a list.
"All states shall notify the committee of the entry into or transit through
their territories of the persons designated in the annex to this resolution,"
the resolution said.
Instead of preventing persons concerned with Iran nuclear program from
traveling abroad, the new text just called upon states to exercise vigilance
regarding the travel.
"The new text has a number of changes which go quite a long way to meet
Russian concerns," German Ambassador Thomas Matussek told reporters after a
closed meeting with his counterparts from the United States, Russia, China,
Britain and France.
According to some UN diplomat, who said on condition of anonymity, Europeans
offered the compromises in an effort to get Russian support, trying to vote by
the end of this week.
Britain, France and Germany circulated two weeks ago to UN Security Council
members a revised draft resolution which imposed sanctions on Iran for its
refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment activities.
It urges Iran to suspend all enrichment activities as well as all heavy water
related projects, and bars Iran from importing or exporting key materials and
technology related to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, but leaves a
slot for dual-use items.
However, some articles of the text were objected by Russia, who insisted that
the travel ban as well as the financial sanctions are unnecessary.