December 22, 2009

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China signaled resistance to any U.S. and European push for tougher United Nations sanctions on Iran, saying talks aimed at preventing its development of nuclear weapons should be given a chance to succeed.

“We ask for more time to be given and efforts to be made to see if we can reach some sort of breakthrough,” La Yifan, China’s envoy for and political affairs at the UN, said in an interview yesterday. “The door to diplomatic efforts is not completely slammed yet. Efforts should focus on trying to find a solution to the current impasse.”

La’s stance reflects the difficulty the U.S., Britain, France and Germany will have in pursuing tougher UN sanctions on Iran next month. The Obama administration set a Dec. 31 deadline for progress on the diplomatic track, and France’s ambassador to the UN said earlier this month that there was no longer any reason to delay a push for sanctions.

The U.S. and its European partners suspect Iran’s uranium enrichment work is part of the development of a nuclear weapons capability.

China holds one of the five permanent seats on the 15- nation Security Council, along with the U.S., France, Britain and Russia. Those veto-wielding members and Germany, which have been trying to convince Iran to scale back its nuclear program, offered at an October meeting in Geneva to enrich uranium Iran needs for a reactor that makes medical isotopes.

The Iranian government has never given a formal reply to the proposal, which the U.S. has portrayed as a confidence- building measure. Iran insists its enrichment program is only intended for civilian energy projects.

‘Hardest Sell’

“Clearly, China will be the hardest sell,” , a senior analyst at , a New York political-risk consulting firm, said in a telephone interview. “Their position is, rhetorically at least, more problematic than the Russian position, so the Chinese are going to face a real test because sanctions are moving.”

China and Russia, while resisting most UN sanctions resolutions, have voted for three measures punishing Iran for ignoring demands that it stop enriching uranium. The resolutions have blocked financial transactions by Iran, imposed an embargo on arms sales and banned the travel of officials working on the nation’s nuclear and missile programs.

“The gap between Russia and China is opening,” Kupchan said. “My instinct is that Russia will be the deal maker.”

Iran Stance Cited

La cited Iranian Foreign Minister statement last week that his government might agree to exchange enriched uranium for nuclear fuel rods outside its territory. He was responding to the proposal for Iran to send 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Russia and then France for processing into reactor fuel, to ensure it isn’t boosted to weapons grade.

“We note the recent remarks by Iranian authorities of a kind of continued willingness to have an exchange,” La, 43, said. “With regard to the venue and also the modalities of such exchanges, those are the issues that a solution should be found through continued discussion.”

European nations have proposed sanctions against Iran that would further hit its nuclear program and its financial system, French Foreign Minister said yesterday. The list doesn’t impact Iran’s domestic fuel industry because that would hurt the population and be “counter-productive,” Kouchner told reporters in Paris.

The U.S. House voted last week to support possible pressure on companies that sell gasoline to Iran. Iran depends on gasoline imports because of limited refining capacity at home.

Obama Administration

The U.S. administration favors a new push for sanctions, although it wants to give Iran until the end of the year to respond to offers to enrich uranium outside the country, according to Kouchner.

“The Russians are on board and the Chinese will follow,” Kouchner said, though he criticized Chinese companies for signing commercial and industrial contracts with Iran.

Asked about statements indicating that the West’s patience has run out, La called those remarks “unfortunate” and expressed hope that there will “not be a spiraling out of control” of the discussion.

On Nov. 27, the censured Iran for concealing an enrichment plant, with the U.S., Russia, China, France and the U.K. all voting for the motion.

Sudan, Myanmar

La praised the Obama administration’s overall commitment to diplomacy on the Iranian issue, as well as conflicts with North Korea, Sudan and Myanmar.

“The Obama administration is taking the right approach” on North Korea, La said, adding that U.S. envoy recent trip to North Korea was “highly useful.”

The U.S. is working with China, Russia, Japan and South Korea to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear arms. North Korea has committed to resuming those so-called six-party talks.

La said Obama’s efforts at engagement with Sudan, over the conflict in Darfur, and Myanmar’s military junta over its repression of political opponents and ethnic minorities, is producing results. Further Security Council involvement with either nation isn’t warranted at this time, he said.

“If you compare the situation in Darfur today with that of two years ago you can see a significant improvement,” he said. “Let’s give them a fair chance to find a solution.”

On Myanmar, the “signs are positive,” La said, that democratic elections may be held next year.

To contact the reporter on this story: at the United Nations at