Annan: Iran Intervention Would Be Unwise

Secretary-General Kofi Annan speaks to the media during a news conference at United Nations headquarters in New York, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. This is supposed to be Annan's last news conference, as he will be passing the Secretary-General title to Ban Ki-moon at the beginning of 2007. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (Seth Wenig - AP)

"What I'm worried about is we may see competitive development of these devices," Annan said. "And we need to take time _ we need to take real effort to assure that we don't get into that situation in the region."

The latest draft resolution being discussed by key Security Council members would order all countries to ban the supply of specified materials and technology that could contribute to Iran's nuclear and missile programs. It would also impose a travel ban and asset freeze on key companies and individuals in the country's nuclear and missile programs who are named on a U.N. list.

Russia and China remain at odds with the United States and key European countries over the travel ban and a list of companies and individuals that should be subject to a freeze of their financial assets.

"We still have some difficult problems to resolve," Churkin said after Tuesday's meeting. He called the travel ban "an unnecessary irritant," and reiterated that Moscow has still not agreed with the list.

Wolff said the U.S. views the travel ban as "a priority."

The six countries offered Iran a package of economic incentives and political rewards in June if it agreed to consider a long-term moratorium on enrichment and committed itself to a freeze on uranium enrichment before talks on its nuclear program.

With Iran refusing to comply with an Aug. 31 council deadline to stop enrichment, Britain and France circulated a draft sanctions resolution in October.

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Associated Press Writers Paul Burkhardt at the United Nations, Pauline Jelinek in Washington, and Ali Akbar Dareini in Kermanshah, Iran, contributed to this report.