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Diplomacy 'best way to solve Iran nuke issue'
By Le Tian (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-02-08 06:10
Diplomacy remains the best way to defuse the Iranian nuclear standoff despite
Saturday's resolution adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
to report the issue to the UN Security Council, the Foreign Ministry said
yesterday.
"The Iranian nuclear issue should be properly resolved through negotiations,"
Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said at a regular news briefing.
On Saturday, the IAEA Board of Governors voted 27 to 3 with five abstentions
to approve a resolution drafted by the EU-3 (Germany, Britain and France) to
request IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei to report the Iranian nuclear issue to the
Security Council, which can impose sanctions.
China voted for the IAEA resolution because it believed the resolution would
encourage further talks.
"This resolution is in accord with our basic principle that the authority and
seriousness of the non-proliferation regime should be maintained," Kong said.
He added the resolution did not oblige the IAEA to refer Iran to the council.
"There is still room for resolving the Iranian nuclear dispute within the
framework of the IAEA," Kong said. "We hope the resolution helps resolve the
stalemate as soon as possible."
The UN nuclear watchdog is scheduled to meet again on March 6 to determine
whether Iran has met the requirements set in the resolution reached at
Saturday's meeting.
In defiance of the vote, Iran on Monday officially notified the IAEA that it
would resume full-scale uranium enrichment, ending a two-year freeze on such
work. Teheran also said it would limit co-operation with nuclear inspectors to
basic obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"In this context, China calls on all parties to exercise restraint and
patience and take positive action to create necessary conditions for addressing
the issue," Kong said.
On Monday, China's Ambassador to the United Nations Wang Guangya also called
for a negotiated settlement between Iran and the European countries.
"China prefers to have the EU-3 continue negotiations with the Iranians to
find a long-term solution to this issue," Wang said in New York. He added there
is still time for the council to consider how to arrive at a proper solution by
diplomatic means.
In Paris, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing reaffirmed yesterday that
China hopes to solve the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomacy.
"We hope to be able to find an adequate solution to this question through
diplomacy in order to benefit peace and stability in the region," Li told
reporters after meeting French President Jacques Chirac.
(China Daily 02/08/2006 page1)
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