"United Nations"

[achebeautiful]

"UN Powers Take No Immediate Action on Iran's Nuclear Dispute"


Iranian ambassador at the International Atomic Energic Agency (IAEA), Aliasghar Soltaniyeh. EPA/Roland Schlager
New York - The five veto-wielding UN Security Council members met Friday to seek a common response to Iran's defiance of international calls to come clean on its nuclear programme.


But the meeting at the US mission to the UN, which lasted 90 minutes, ended with the ambassadors separately issuing the same statement.

'We had a very good discussion, and the consultations will continue next week,' Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya told reporters. Asked if the group discussed a draft statement on Iran, Wang said, 'No, not all.'

Wang and the other ambassadors hurriedly left, refusing to give any details of their discussion. US Ambassador John Bolton presided over the meeting, attended by Wang, Andrei Denisov of Russia, Jean- Marc de la Sabliere of France and Emyr Jones Parry of Britain.

The United States is pressing for the Security Council to take up the case as early as next week as a way of increasing pressure on Iran, which says its uranium enrichment programme is purely for peaceful aims.

Diplomats said that a draft statement being discussed among the five members would express 'serious concern' about the Iranian military's role in the nuclear programme and voice suspicions that Iran has documents on building nuclear weapons.

Once the five permanent members have approved the text, it would be sent to the other 10 Security Council members for a broader discussion early next week, the diplomats said.

Russia on Friday suggested a new round of non-UN diplomacy with the other four permanent members plus Germany, but the US gave the idea a cool reception.

In New York, US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said that he was not opposed to negotiations.

'The concept of having consultations makes a lot of sense, in the Security Council or other venues and circumstances,' he said.

But he insisted that the Security Council take the lead in settling the dispute with Iran, because the body is responsible for world peace and security under the UN charter.

'The way to resolve this is for Iran to comply with the non- proliferation treaties and nuclear safeguards under the IAEA,' Bolton said.

The five veto powers held their first meeting Wednesday, hours after the 15-nation council received a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) criticizing Iran's lack of transparency and refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan told reporters following a luncheon Friday with council members that the 'best solution' would be for negotiations to continue to work out a peaceful solution to the nuclear row with Iran.

He said, though, that Iran should cooperate with the IAEA and non- proliferation treaties.

[achebeautiful]

Remember this part of the article and cement it into your memory:

Russia on Friday suggested a new round of non-UN diplomacy with the other four permanent members plus Germany, but the US gave the idea a cool reception.

In New York, US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said that he was not opposed to negotiations.

'The concept of having consultations makes a lot of sense, in the Security Council or other venues and circumstances,' he said.

But he insisted that the Security Council take the lead in settling the dispute with Iran, because the body is responsible for world peace and security under the UN charter.

'The way to resolve this is for Iran to comply with the non- proliferation treaties and nuclear safeguards under the IAEA,' Bolton said.

The five veto powers held their first meeting Wednesday, hours after the 15-nation council received a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) criticizing Iran's lack of transparency and refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan told reporters following a luncheon Friday with council members that the 'best solution' would be for negotiations to continue to work out a peaceful solution to the nuclear row with Iran.

He said, though, that Iran should cooperate with the IAEA and non- proliferation treaties.

John Bolton is saying that the UN Security Council is RESPONSIBLE for world peace and security under the UN Charter.

Koffi Annan is saying that the 'best solution' would be for negotiations to continue to work out a peaceful solution to all of this.

John Bolton seems to understand that there are countries in this world who are not going to sit around a table and 'negotiate peace' when there full intention is to obliterate an entire culture from the face of the earth!

Koffi Annan seems to think that the 'best solution' is what everybody is aiming for! Not so, Koffi!

Remember this:
Doing nothing now will mean doing something later. And by that time, it will have meant a lot of innocent lives. It will also mean sending more people into a hell on earth called war.

Wake up, UN! World peace is your RESPONSIBILITY! It's not going to come up to you and sit on your lap. You are going to have to go out there and get it. Bring this world together and stand up to all of this. NOW!

[ocelot]

I think the UN security council is responsible for to doing all they can for World Peace. There will be times when you can try everything and war still breaks out, I wouldn't fault them for that but they aren't doing all they can. There needs to be a medium between the way the UN security council are doing things and forcing Iran to do something. If possible I would not want to force Iran to do something because that has the capabililities of turning really ugly. But the UN security council isn't doing enough. I don't agree that world peace is the UN security control's responsiblity because to make it someone's job to make there be world peace is a job bound for failure at this point in the world with so many differences and people who are determined to break boundaries of religion and such. For instance, if the UN security council is working their butt off to prevent a war and one of the parties that are fighting with words attacks, I don't consider it the fault of the UN security council, but as of now they are not doing their job. They are not putting there all into making world peace happen.

[achebeautiful]

Leona, you make a lot of very good points, and I agree with you about everything you have stated. What is meant by the UN Security Council being responsible for world peace, however, is not to put the burden of the world's peacefulness at the feet of the UN. Rather, it meant to say that IF the United Nations exists for anything at all, it should be to bring this world together to stand against any threat to peace.
Here is a way to explain it. Every community would agree that there is a great responsibility placed upon their local police and fire departments. Policemen and firemen do not get blamed for crimes and fires. However, if calls are being made to these departments because of crimes and fires in the area, and these departments choose to ignore the calls and not do everything they can to respond, then what good are they? They then become useless. But worse yet, they become useless DISGUISED as the holders of crime and fire protection.
I believe it is the very same way with regard to the United nations.

Iran has made it VERY VERY clear over the years in both words and actions to know that they are not to be trusted with anything that can threaten peace. It's like allowing a pedophile to run a daycare center!

The point you make about the UN not doing enough is the point that I am trying to make here. But this is typical of the UN. The question I always get is, "Does the UN have a role to play?" My answer is always the same....YES!

Unfortunately, too many times with regard to the concerns of this world that are laid at their feet, the UN opts out of that role.

Leona, I accept your response with all the respect in the world, and in no way am I disagreeing with you. You have no argument from me about the things you say. I guess I just wanted to add to my original comments. But like all of your posts, they keep me in line, and from getting carried away! So, thank you!