China yesterday urged renewed talks aimed at ending the dispute
over Iran's nuclear program, warning that UN sanctions imposed on
Saturday are unlikely to resolve the conflict.
"We hope the (UN) resolution is earnestly carried out, but at
the same time consider that sanctions are not the goal, and cannot
fundamentally resolve the issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu
Jianchao said in a statement on the ministry website.
China has all along supported the international
non-proliferation mechanism, Liu said, stressing that the nation
favors a peaceful solution to Iran's nuclear issue.
He made the remarks after the UN Security Council unanimously
adopted a resolution Saturday imposing sanctions against Iran over
its controversial nuclear activities.
The resolution demanded that Iran "suspend all
enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research
and development," and "work on all heavy water-related
projects."
The resolution called on all states to impose a ban on trade
with Iran in goods related to its nuclear programs and ballistic
missile delivery systems.
But Beijing wants to see a "negotiated, peaceful settlement to
the Iranian nuclear issue," Liu said. He called on all parties to
the dispute to "push for an early resumption of talks to reach a
long-term, comprehensive settlement."
China's UN Ambassador Wang Guangya echoed the view.
"China wishes to emphasize that sanctions are not the end but a
means to urge Iran to resume negotiations. Sanction measures
adopted by the Security Council this time are limited and
reversible."
There are explicit provisions indicating that if Iran suspends
its enrichment related and reprocessing activities, complies with
the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and meets the
requirements of the IAEA, the Security Council shall suspend and
even terminate the sanction measures, he said after the UN adopted
the resolution.
The Iranian government quickly rejected the resolution, vowing
in a statement from Teheran to continue enriching uranium.
Tao Wenzhao, deputy director of the Institute of American
Studies affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
(CASS), said the resolution demonstrated the UN resolve to keep the
international nuclear non-proliferation mechanism intact by urging
Iran to return to the negotiating table.
The resolution is in response to Iran's failure to comply with
an August 31 UN deadline to suspend uranium enrichment. "Now the
ball is in Iran's court," said Tao. "It should heed the demands and
expectations on its nuclear program."
Yin Gang, a professor at CASS' Institute of West Asian and
African Studies, added: "Compliance from Iran would contribute to a
diplomatic solution to the stalemate."
(China Daily December 25, 2006)
