Brussels, 10/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - Unable to reach agreement on the terms of a resolution on the Iranian nuclear case - Beijing and Moscow rejecting any reference to Chapter VII of the UN Charter, opening the way to possible military action - the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, United States, France, United Kingdom and Russia) plus Germany, meeting at Foreign Ministerial level in New York on 8 May, authorised the EU-3 (Germany, France and United Kingdom) to produce a package of benefits and penalties to get Iran to put a freeze on its uranium enrichment activities.
Several Community sources have confirmed to EUROPE that European experts and diplomats have already started work and that the package of measures proposed by the EU-3 will be discussed at the External Relations Council in Brussels on 15 May. Following Monday's meeting, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste Blazy let it be known that proposals could be made to Iran in the civil nuclear, trade, technological, and even regional security fields if it agreed to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) and demonstrate that its nuclear programme was for purely civilian purposes. “The experts will try to find ways of making the package of proposals on economic, trade and technological cooperation, rejected by Tehran in August, more attractive,” a French source told EUROPE. According to the Financial Times, this time, on offer could be “technical aid for Iran's nuclear programme, perhaps including help building reactors”. Unlike with its offer of last August, the EU-3 would like to develop a new package of proposals in close cooperation with Washington, Beijing and Moscow, the idea being, according to the diplomats quoted by the Financial Times, to get Moscow to accept a resolution invoking UN Charter Chapter VII, particularly Article 41 which allows sanctions, and not Article 42 which can authorise force. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has already expressed Washington's support for this approach. She said on Tuesday that the US had long supported the efforts of Russia and the EU to respond to Iranian regime's aspirations for a civil nuclear programme. The aim, for Dr Rice, was not only to offer benefits to Iran, but to present it with an alternative: regional integration or isolation. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the Security Council resolution on the Iranian case would probably not be ready for another ten to fifteen days.