Major powers try to break UN impasse on Iran

[herrmag]

While the Westerners and "wanna be" Westerners talk in circles, Iran becomes a greater and greater threat. Notice the quote I put in bold. Is it just me, or does that sound like Russia and China would rather bury their heads in the sand than find out that Iran actually is conducting research on nuclear weapons? Is ignorance really that blissful? I mean, it honestly sounds to me like they don't want to know anything so that they can, in good conscience, do nothing. :doh:

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Major-power nations tried to break a U.N. impasse on Iran's nuclear ambitions with a round of telephone calls among their foreign ministers on Thursday seeking to produce a unified message, diplomats said.

After two weeks of haggling over an initial U.N. Security Council reaction to Iran's suspected nuclear program, Britain, France and the United States were unable to get support from Russia and China, the other two veto-holding Security Council nations, on a draft statement they had proposed.

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said talks among foreign ministers of the five permanent members on Thursday were needed before any decisions could be taken in the 15-member Security Council.

"We're waiting for the outcome of the conversations at higher pay grades," Bolton told reporters.

Other council diplomats said most of the phone calls would go to Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, who is visiting Beijing, and who has the toughest position on future U.N. action.

Russia and China fear that involvement by the 15-member council, which can impose sanctions, could escalate and lead to punitive measures, and even justify military action, although the draft statement carries no threat of punishment.

The proposed Security Council statement would tell Iran to suspend uranium enrichment efforts that could produce fuel for an atomic bomb. Tehran says it nuclear research is for peaceful purposes, while the West believes it is a cover for bomb making.

Moscow and Beijing fear that involvement by the 15-member council, which can impose sanctions, could escalate and lead to punitive measures, and even justify military action, although the draft statement carries no threat of punishment.

Ambassadors of the five permanent council members are expected to meet again on Thursday. But the deadlock prompted them to cancel a meeting of the full 15-member council on Tuesday without scheduling a new session.

Lavrov told Moscow's Interfax news agency on Wednesday the current text was unacceptable and removed the issue from the 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

[SkinsOrlando]

Why would Russia and China care??? Iran doesn't like us and China and Russia are not our allies. They just pimp us out for trade.