Major powers to discuss sanctions against Iran

BERLIN, May 9 (Reuters) Major powers will meet today to discuss imposing tougher UN sanctions against Iran unless it halts uranium enrichment work the West suspects is part of a secret programme to build nuclear weapons.

The United Nations has already imposed limited sanctions after Iran rejected resolutions ordering it to freeze the work.

Iran says its nuclear programme is purely for electricity to benefit its economy, particularly to export more oil and gas.

Political directors from the five permanent UN Security Council members -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- plus Germany will discuss Iran on the sidelines of a Group of Eight (G8) meeting in Berlin.

''Among other things, they will discuss possible language for a new UN Security Council resolution on Iran,'' a diplomat from one of the six powers said on condition of anonymity.

China would participate in the meeting via telephone, diplomats said.

US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns will represent the United States at the talks where delegates will discuss a recent meeting between European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.

Solana said earlier this week his talks with Larijani were very difficult as Iran had said it had no intention of suspending uranium enrichment.

POSSIBLE SANCTIONS Among possible future sanctions was an increase in the number of Iranian banks to be blacklisted by the United Nations, diplomats said.

Political directors from the G8 group of leading industrialised nations would also discuss Iran to prepare for next month's G8 summit, said diplomats from the group.

One senior official from a G8 country said the current draft of a statement on nuclear non-proliferation to be approved at the summit in Heiligendamm, Germany called for increasing pressure on Iran if it remained defiant.

Under the draft, the G8 would ''support adopting further measures should Iran refuse to comply with its obligations'', said the official, declining to be named.

Germany is the current G8 president. The other members are the United States, Russia, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Japan.

Several diplomats said the major powers were satisfied with the impact sanctions against Iran were having and that Iranians were growing increasingly worried about the economic impact they were having.

''Even the Americans expressed pleasant surprise in this regard, especially since they were initially very sceptical about what they thought was an overly watered-down resolution,'' said the G8 official.

Reuters SBA VP0522