Iran sanctions no sure bet in UN Security Council

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5789870&cKey=1116283842000

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - There is no certainty the U.N. Security Council would back a U.S. or European request to punish Iran if Tehran resumed work on what Washington fears is part of a nuclear weapons program, U.N. diplomats said on Monday.

The George W. Bush administration and some European Union countries are expected to ask the International Atomic Energy Agency to refer Iran to the 15-nation council for possible sanctions if it resumes sensitive nuclear activities it agreed to suspend last November.

But even with a referral of the case by the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog, it was not clear the council would adopt sanctions, council diplomats and analysts said.

Some council members including China and Russia were likely to strongly question the need for sanctions if not block them, and others would be in no hurry to act, they said.

[htuttle]

1. Russia is the one building the nuke plant, right?

Why on earth would they vote for sanctions? China has signed some oil deals with Iran -- they are going to vote for sanctions?

Probably looking at two vetoes.

[Massacure]

2. Exactly. Russia and China form a huge juggernaut of influence.

[makhno]

4. Good going by Bush & Co.

I wonder if the administration now realizes that pissing the Russians off on VE Day and fomenting anti-Russian sentiment throughout the FSU wasn't a particularly smart idea. Nor was imposing new quotas on Chinese textile exports and pressuring that permanent Security Council member to float its currency.

Then again, when God's speaking through you, admitting mistakes is tantamount to blasphemy so we probably won't be seeing any change in policy.

[MasonJar]

3. This is what comes naturally when idiots in power draw up an

"Axis of Evil" and proceed to "shock and awe" 100s of 1000s of one of the countries on the wheel. Of course it is all Bill Clinton's fault (for not being able to run for a third term.)

[FloridaPat]

5. Didn't India also make some deals with Iran recently?

I'm sure everyone across the world knows what's going on there - except a large percentage of incredibly stupid Americans.

I don't see the world sitting by quieting watching the US take over all the Middle East oil. And I think the Iranians will be ready. And I'll bet the Russians and Chinese will have lots of fire power ready.

The plan last year was for Israel to do the bombing and the US back them. With Russian and Chinese air guns, they could blow the air strike out of the sky. And then they could destroy almost all our army and marine corp by bombing Iraq.