Iran Nuclear Watch: United Nations Security Council to Consider Chapter 7 Resolution on Iran Uranium Enrichment

US Ambassador John Bolton, seen here in March 2006, said the UN Security Council will consider a draft resolution that would legally require Iran to comply with demands that it freeze all uranium enrichment activities.

AFP: UN Security Council to mull Chapter 7 resolution on Iran: US

The UN Security Council will consider a draft resolution that would legally require Iran to comply with demands that it freeze all uranium enrichment activities, US Ambassador John Bolton said.

Bolton told reporters the 15-member council would be discussing this week possible responses to a report by
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Mohamed ElBaradei.

The report assesses Tehran’s compliance with UN demands to stop enrichment activities among other things by a Friday deadline set by the council on March 29 in a non-binding statement.

“Our expectation would be that assuming no change of direction by Iran and there’s no reason to think there will be a change of direction, we’ll look at a ‘Chapter 7’ resolution to make mandatory all the existing IAEA resolutions,” Bolton said.

Strong, tough, measured responses to Iran’s bluster is the hallmark of United States foreign policy. But, do not be surprised if the United States makes Russia and/or China VETO a Chapter 7 resolution to show their hypocrisy to the international community of nations.

Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which is invoked in case of threats to international peace and security, can open the door to sanctions or even military action.

“We will be consulting this week on the nature of the language (of the draft),” Bolton said.

US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, Nicholas Burns, said Friday that Britain and France were expected to present the Chapter 7 draft next week.

But China’s UN envoy Wang Guangya, the president of the council for April, warned Monday:”I don’t think it (a Chapter 7 resolution) will be a productive move.”

A Chapter 7 resolution veto by China will expose the oppressive non-democratic regime as selling out to the Mullahs for their oil. Do the Chinese care?

Proably not.

But, the United States will be given cover to impose their own economic and travel sanctions.

Commenting on Iran’s assertions that sanctions were unlikely because of opposition from Russia and China, two veto-wielding permanent members of the council that have close ties with Tehran, Bolton said: “I don’t know what the Security Council is going to do.

“I said repeatedly I think this is a test for the Security Council and we’re going to take it step-by-step,” Bolton said.

“The first step will be a Chapter 7 resolution.”

But some diplomats said there was no certainty that the Council would hold a formal meeting on the issue this week.

US officials have said the political directors of the council’s five permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — were likely to meet in Paris some time next week to thrash out a common strategy.

In addition Wang spoke of “proposals that the IAEA board of directors should have a meeting first before the council takes up the action.”

Stay tuned…….