Big powers to approve Iran sanctions steps-U.S.

BAGHDAD, Oct 6 (Reuters) World powers meeting in London today are likely to agree on the principle of imposing sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme but not to approve specific language, a U.S.

official said.

''What we would expect to come from this meeting is the political decision to move to the next step of diplomacy, which is a sanctions resolution,'' said the Bush administration official, who was travelling in Iraq with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the foreign ministers would likely ask their political directors to spend the next several days hammering out specific language on sanctions.

''I expect activities to intensify in New York and in capitals,'' he said.

World powers are divided over how best to resolve the Iran deadlock. Russia and China have up until now been wary of rushing into sanctions and some European countries say diplomacy must be given more time.

Washington has been aggressively lobbying for sanctions at the U.N. Security Council after long-running talks with Iran to stop enrichment failed to produce results.

Ministers from Russia, France, Britain, the United States and China, the permanent members of the Security Council, and Germany are due to meet in London from 2130 IST.

Iran again urged the West on Thursday to solve the dispute through talks but repeated it would not stop uranium enrichment.

Tehran says the programme is only for power generation but the West suspects it wants to make a nuclear bomb.

Reuters SP DB1309