The foreign ministers meeting of the five permanent UN Security Council members (China, France, Britain, Russia and the US) and Germany agreed in Paris yesterday to return Iran's nuclear issue to the UN Security Council.

 

"We have no choice but to return to the UN Security Council and take forward the process that was suspended two months ago," French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said.

 

"We have agreed to seek a United Nations Security Council resolution, which would make the IAEA-required suspension mandatory," Douste-Blazy said.

 

"Should Iran refuse to comply then we will work for the adoption of measures under Article 41 of Chapter Seven of the UN Charter," which opens the way for economic and diplomatic sanctions, but not for the use of military force.

 

"The Iranians have given no indication at all that they are ready to engage seriously on the substance of our proposals," he said in a declaration to journalists after the talks.

 

The Paris foreign ministers meeting gathered Douste-Blazy, his British counterpart Margaret Beckett, Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Russia's Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui.

 

The six countries met on June 6 in Teheran to offer a technological and commercial cooperation proposal to Iran to try to persuade Teheran to suspend uranium enrichment activities.

 

Iran refused again on Tuesday to commit itself to the suspension of uranium enrichment, which can lead to atomic weapon fabrication.

 

"Should Iran implement the decisions of the IAEA and the UN Security Council, and enter into negotiations, we would be ready to hold back from further action in the UN Security Council," the French minister said.

 

"We urge Iran once again to respond positively to the substantive proposals we made last month," he said.

 

(Xinhua News Agency July 13, 2006)