Work needed before UN resolution on Iran- Germany

Berlin, May 9: German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said today a number of questions must be resolved before major powers agree a draft UN Security Council resolution on Iran's nuclear programme.

''We need to make sure we don't start something we cannot stop and which could get out of control afterwards,'' Steinmeier was quoted as saying in an interview with public television station ZDF.

He said ''five or six questions are still open'' before a draft resolution could be concluded calling for Iran to halt its uranium enrichment.

Steinmeier met with counterparts from the five permanent Security Council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- in New York yesterday to agree a strategy for dealing with Iran.

But the five veto-wielding powers and Germany failed to come to an agreement on a draft resolution.

In a summary of the interview, ZDF said Steinmeier had estimated it could take two weeks before they resolved their differences.

The draft resolution, backed by Britain, France and the United States, would require Iran halt uranium enrichment. But the station provided no quotes from Steinmeier supporting that timeline.

Russia and China have resisted the draft resolution.

Reuters