UN to vote on new Iran sanctions tomorrow

UN to vote on new Iran sanctions tomorrow

	Published : Fri, 23 Mar 2007 13:31 By : Agencies Print this Story

NEW YORK (AFX) - The United Nations Security Council will vote tomorrow on a resolution to impose new punitive sanctions on Iran because of its controversial nuclear programme.

'Our intention is that there should be a vote Saturday,' Britain's UN Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry told reporters late yesterday.

The draft resolution under consideration would ban the Iranian government from exporting arms, calls for voluntary trade sanctions and expands a list of officials and companies targeted for financial and travel restrictions.

Jones Parry said yesterday: 'We'll meet tomorrow (Friday) for one final consideration. But the text is in blue,' indicating it is ready for an imminent vote.

A Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the draft is expected to receive overwhelming support.

Meanwhile, Iran's deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his entourage have not yet been granted visas to attend the meeting tomorrow. Ahmadinajed has promised to present what he called 'new proposals' about Iran's nuclear program.

Diplomats at UN headquarters said Ahmadinejad's intention to attend has no bearing on the timing of the vote.

Iran has defied UN demands by refusing to suspend its uranium enrichment work and has rejected accusations that it is striving to produce nuclear weapons, insisting its program is designed to generate electricity.

The draft resolution builds on sanctions already adopted by the Security Council in December, including a ban on the sale of nuclear and ballistic missile-related materials to Iran and a freeze on financial assets of Iranians involved in illicit atomic and ballistic missile work.

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