U.S. Expects Iran Sanctions Within Weeks

Mehmet Ayudin, right, and Federico Mayor, co-chairs of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations briefed journalists after their 2-day meeting at the offices of the Turkish Mission to the United Nations at the U.N. Headquarters, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2006. (AP Photo/David Karp) (David Karp - AP)

"I have not heard from any government from this group that we should change the basic offer, that hasn't changed," he said, adding: "No one mentioned anything like this" during Thursday's meeting.

"The Iranians are in a very tough position," Burns said. "At first they thought, let's divide the United States from the EU-3 and that didn't succeed. The Iranians are obviously trying to divide Russia and China from the rest of us, and that hasn't succeeded."

Still, a diplomat familiar with the U.S. stance said Burns was worried about the French statement, which would weaken what has been a unified stance between the four Western countries in the six-nation coalition for a need to move to sanctions if Iran remains defiant.

Mohammed Khatami, the two-term former Iranian president, suggested that not only France but Russia and China _ which have been skeptical about sanctions _ were no longer insisting that an enrichment freeze had to precede negotiations.

"As far as I know, Russia, China and France are interested in pursuing the dialogue even without preconditions," he said Thursday in Washington.

Burns spoke on the eve of a crucial meeting between senior EU envoy Javier Solana and Ali Larijani, the chief Iranian nuclear negotiator. An Iranian official told the AP the talks were set for Vienna, with Larijani scheduled to arrive Friday evening.

The talks are considered a final attempt to find common ground to start negotiations between Iran and the six powers.

As the Americans and their allies worked at the Berlin meeting to overcome Russian and Chinese opposition to sanctions, the European document appealed to other countries for support.

The 1 1/2-page paper labeled "In Confidence" summarizes Iran's response to incentives package. The six powers have also asked Iran to consider a long-term moratorium on the technology, which can be misused to make nuclear arms.

Iran, which insists its nuclear program is meant only to produce fuel, refused suspend enrichment by an Aug. 31 deadline set by the Security Council. Its Aug. 22 response to the rewards offer has been kept confidential. But the United States and its allies have described it as unsatisfactory, primarily because of Tehran's refusal to consider freezing enrichment.

"The Iranian goal obviously is to split the international community," says the document, drawn up by Britain, France and Germany. While not specifically threatening U.N. sanctions, it says the Security Council will have to consider "further steps" if Tehran continues to defy the council.

Diplomats familiar with the document said it was drawn up to inform other nations of the substance of Iran's counteroffer and share the Western view that it was inadequate.

"The reply is along the lines of previous Iranian statements in that typically it neither accepts nor rejects outright" the six-nation proposal, said the document.