US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice insisted that the Iran
nuclear crisis must now go to the UN Security Council, rejecting a call for
international talks outside the world body.
While saying that more meetings of the main countries
involved in the controversy were likely, Rice said: "I think what is ahead
of us now is pretty clear and that is the Security Council."
Speaking on a stopover in the Puerto Rico
capital while heading for Chile,
Rice said the main powers had agreed at a London
meeting in January that if Iran
did not respond to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) calls for
cooperation then its case should be referred to the UN Security Council.
The IAEA board decided this week to refer a report to the UN
Security Council.
US
officials have said the UN Security Council could start debating Iran
next Monday or Tuesday. Ambassadors from the permanent council members -- Britain,
China, France, Germany,
Russia and the United
States -- have started consultations on the
action to be taken.
"I am always happy to meet with my colleagues but I
think we know what we need to do now," Rice said.
Washington
believes Iran's
nuclear programme is hiding efforts to develop an
atomic bomb. Tehran insists its aim
is peaceful.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier Friday that the five permanent members
plus Germany
should meet for talks on Iran
before the case went to the world body.
Lavrov said that although the
situation was critical, "this does not mean that now we must now all go to
the Security Council and start demanding, threatening and carrying out
threats."
Rice said "I am quite certain that there are going to
be more meetings of the P5 plus one (the Security Council permanent members
plus Germany)
and we have had some very productive meetings of that group, and I am certain
that we would do it again."
Posted: 3/10/06
Source: Agence France
Presse
Return to: Condoleezza Rice
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