On New Iran Sanctions, China and the West May Disagree, on Travel Bans and Export Credits

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, January 24 -- A new proposed sanctions resolution directed at Iran will be unveiled Friday to the UN Security Council's ten elected members, at the UK Mission to the UN on 47th Street. On Thursday a Security Council diplomat who insisted on being identified this way told Inner City Press that the proposal, which he insisted was fully agreed to by all five permanent Council members plus Germany while meeting in Berlin, is new in that it includes travel ban on select Iranians.  But China's Ambassador Wang told reporters that the new resolution will involve only "vigilance" on the travel patterns of these individuals. Whether there is in fact agreement among all of the Permanent Five is a matter of skepticism.

UN's Ban Ki-moon with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and staff

            The Council diplomat was asked why new sanctions were being prepared. "Because they work," he said, pointing to Iran's renewed efforts to address outstanding issues with the International Atomic Energy Agency. "Sanctions have worked on the outstanding issues," he said, "but not yet on enrichment." Of Iran he said, still insisting on anonymity, that "they have lied in the past" and "they are buying stuff not needed for civilian nuclear" power. He predicted that the toughest "sells" on the Council will be Libya, South Africa, Indonesia and Vietnam. South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo recently said that his country wants to be consulted early in the drafting process. Libya's Ambassador, in assuming the presidency of the Security Council for this month, said that as a country which had suffered under sanctions, he would have difficulty voting to impose them on others. Most predict that despite the unveiling to the ten elected members on Friday afternoon, nothing will move at least until the end of the month. We'll see.

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Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

  Because a number of Inner City Press' UN sources go out of their way to express commitment to serving the poor, and while it should be unnecessary, Inner City Press is compelled to conclude this installment in a necessarily-ongoing series by saluting the stated goals of the UN agencies and many of their staff. Keep those cards, letters and emails coming, and phone calls too, we apologize for any phone tag, but please continue trying, and keep the information flowing.

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