President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is heading to China this week to discuss the threat of new UN sanctions over Iran’s nuclear programme, as US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said world powers have the necessary votes at the Security Council.
Mr Ahmadinejad will be attending Expo Shanghai 2010, but will also meet top Chinese officials to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme, the threat of sanctions and a fuel swap deal for a Tehran research reactor brokered by Brazil and Turkey last month, Iranian state television reported on Monday.
His visit to Security Council permanent member China takes on particular significance as a Vote on a new sanctions package looms after the US introduced a draft resolution last month. China, which has emerged in recent years as Iran’s main trading partner, continues to insist on diplomacy to resolve the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear programme but US officials say they have Beijing’s support for the sanctions resolution. Before heading to China, Mr Ahmadinejad was due to hold a round of meetings in Istanbul where he was attending a regional security and confidence building meet on Monday. He was expected to meet PM Vladimir Putin of Russia reports said.
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‘Iran nuke programme special case’
GEORGE JAHN
VIENNA
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency singled out Iran on Monday as a “special case” for his monitoring teams because of suspicions it might be hiding experimental nuclear weapons programmes.
He also faulted both Iran and Syria — also suspected of hiding nuclear activities — for holding back on cooperation with his agency, the UN nuclear monitor. IAEA chief Yukiya Amano’s opening comments Monday at the start of the agency’s 35-nation board meeting set the focus for much of the gathering, with both Iran and Syria key agenda items.
Iran is stonewalling IAEA attempts to follow up on intelligence from the US and other nations that suggests Tehran has hidden nuclear weapons experiments. —AP