Merkel's new mission -- forging unity on Iran

BERLIN, May 7 (Reuters) German Chancellor Angela Merkel may be emerging as a pivotal figure in the Iran nuclear crisis, using her ties with Washington and Moscow to try to forge a common approach to confronting the Islamic Republic.

After her recent meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President George W Bush, a three-pronged strategy for isolating Tehran is taking shape in Berlin, according to German officials familiar with Merkel's thinking.

The first prong relies on Merkel using her personal influence to convince Putin to stay onside as the West ratchets up pressure on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and prove it is not developing nuclear weapons.

The second involves nudging the Bush administration, which has often advocated a swift, hard-line approach with Iran in the past, towards a more patient, long-term view on resolving the crisis -- a shift the Germans feel is well under way after Merkel's Washington visit last week.

''Our feeling is that the meeting with Bush is something we can really build upon,'' a senior German official, who requested anonymity, said after the leaders met in the Oval Office and dined together on Wednesday. ''We are not expecting any surprises from the Americans. They are ready to go step-by-step because they realise it is in their interests.'' SANCTIONS COALITION? The third and perhaps most challenging element of the strategy is persuading countries with economic, geographic or strategic links to Iran -- not only Russia and China, but also India, Turkey, Japan and Gulf Arab states -- to isolate it.

The UN Security Council shows little sign so far of being able to agree on Western proposals for concrete action against Iran, and pulling together such a voluntary coalition for some form of sanctions will require intense lobbying from other leaders besides Merkel.

Bringing along China, a veto-holding member of the council along with the United States, Russia, Britain and France, is likely to prove particularly difficult, German officials say.

The Chinese are staunch opponents of sanctions and, although Merkel travels to Beijing this month, her ability to influence them is probably limited.

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