The six world powers sought on Wednesday to hammer out a unified stance on Iran as they prepare to resume long-stalled talks with the Islamic state over its contested nuclear ambitions, diplomats at the UN nuclear agency said. The United States and its Western allies initially pursued a resolution by the UN watchdog's board of governors to rebuke Iran over what they see as its failure to tackle mounting fears of a disguised bid to develop nuclear weapons capability.
But diplomats said Russia and China saw no need for a new resolution so soon after one was passed at the last 35-nation board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in November, the Vienna-based UN nuclear body. Instead, the focus is now on crafting a joint statement to be delivered at the current IAEA board meeting, which adjourned until Thursday morning to give more time for big power envoys to consult with each other and their capitals.
Western diplomats played down any suggestions of fundamental differences between the four Western states - the United States, France, Britain and Germany - and Russia and China, with one envoy saying it was a matter of addressing "technical issues". It is "nothing that we can't resolve," the envoy said. A joint statement would underline the importance of the powers' upcoming talks with Iran and also urge it to cooperate with IAEA inspectors, after two recent rounds of largely fruitless meetings in Tehran, another Western diplomat said.
The Western camp would want to see relatively tough language on Iran to pressure it to cooperate with the IAEA while China and Russia seek a milder statement to help foster a constructive atmosphere for more talks, analysts say. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represents the six powers, announced on Tuesday a fresh stab at talks to allay suspicions that Iran is developing nuclear weapons.
A date and venue have yet to be agreed for the talks, proposed by Iran after a year's diplomatic standstill that has increased fears of a slide into a new Middle East war. Russia and China, both with notable commercial ties to Iran, have backed four rounds of UN sanctions on the major oil producer since 2006 over its refusal to curb nuclear activity that can have military and civilian purposes alike. But both Moscow and Beijing have criticised the United States and the European Union for imposing much harsher unilateral punitive steps on Iran, suggesting they would be counterproductive.