UN Council powers struggle for unity on Iran crisis

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 14 (Reuters) The five veto-holding powers of the UN Security Council struggled without apparent success to devise a council statement on reining in Iran's nuclear programs.

The United States, Britain and France hope the full council will consider a statement later this week as its response to a report on Iran's programs by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency delivered last Wednesday.

The 35-nation IAEA board asked Iran to suspend all uranium enrichment-related activities, which the West believes is a cover for bomb making, and asked Iran to cooperate with IAEA inspectors.

But Russia and China have been uneasy about Security Council involvement, with Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hoping for more talks with Iran soon.

After a third round of consultations among the five permanent council members, Britain's U.N. ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said: ''I will aim to have this put to all my colleagues in the council this week.'' But Jones Parry as well as U.S. Ambassador John Bolton indicated that if no agreement was reached among the five, a text, drafted by Britain and France, might go to the full 15-member council anyway this week.

''If we can't reach agreement we will go to the larger council,'' Bolton said, an indication that the five may be deadlocked.

Lavrov, in a newspaper interview, urged the United States and its European allies not to turn their back on the IAEA as a tool to resolve the dispute, saying there was no agreed strategy for action in the Security Council. He also said Russia might resume talks with Iran.

URANIUM ENRICHMENT ''It shouldn't come as any surprise to anybody that the Iranians would love to talk further,'' Bolton said. ''They've loved talking for the last four years and they will talk as long as they can as they master the technical difficulties they have encountered in the uranium enrichment process.'' The Western powers would like a statement that would call on Iran to stop all uranium enrichment-related activities and for the IAEA to report back to the Security Council in a short period of time. Britain, diplomats, said, had suggested 14 days but any date is likely to be closer to 30 days.

Jones Parry said he wanted to urge Iran to comply with what board had asked and wanted the IAEA board to report back on how Iran had responded. ''We would like to move his dossier forward as soon as possible,'' he added.

''We are discussing the best means by which we can apply pressure to encourage Iran to meet what the board has asked and demonstrate our support for the board,'' Jones Parry said.

A council statement needs approval from all 15 members. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no veto from the five permanent members. The West could try to force Russia and China into a veto on a resolution if the debate drags on.

But after an initial reaction, the next step would be more difficult. Normally a tougher resolution would follow demanding Iran comply and hinting at consequences.

But the West does not have Russia or China's agreement on threatening or imposing sanctions.

Reuters SK VP0640