By DPA
Washington : Major countries will meet Sep 21 to discuss a new UN Security Council resolution containing sanctions on Iran for failing to halt its nuclear activities, the US State Department said.
Officials from the five permanent members of the Security Council – Britain, China, France, Russia and the US – plus Germany will meet in Washington to discuss the wording of the resolution, spokesman Sean McCormack said Wednesday.
“It’s no secret that we would have wished that these discussions had reached the point where we actually could have a resolution now at the table and have a vote,” McCormack said.
Russia and China and resisted coming down too hard on Iran, which has refused to stop enriching uranium and even expanded the effort in defiance of previous Security Council sanctions resolutions.
“We want to try to move the process forward as quickly as we possibly can,” McCormack said.
The US and its partners suspect Iran’s nuclear activities could lead to the development of atomic weapons, while Iran insists the programme is only for generating electricity.
Tehran in the past has shrugged off Security Council resolutions and continued uranium enrichment, a process that could be used for making bombs. Tehran has threatened to stop cooperating with UN nuclear monitors if the Security Council adopts another resolution.