Rice confident of UN action on Iran

NASSAU (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed confidence Washington and its allies would reach agreement on a resolution to pressure Iran to give up its suspected nuclear weapons ambitions, even if it takes longer than previously thought.

Rice made her comments following a meeting of Caribbean foreign ministers here, as the UN Security Council struggled to hammer out a response to concerns that Tehran was using its civilian nuclear program to develop atomic bombs.

"We will come up with a vehicle (for addressing the Iranians), I am quite certain of it," the chief US diplomat said at a news conference. "If it takes a little longer, I'm really not concerned about that."

Washington and its European allies have been pressing the Islamic Republic to suspend its uranium enrichment activities and return to negotiations aimed at weaning them from suspected nuclear ambitions with economic and other incentives.

"The best way to get Iran to know that it is going to have to cede to the just demands of the international community is to speak and speak strongly to Iran that it has no other course," Rice said.

A deadlocked UN Security Council on Tuesday postponed a scheduled meeting to allow more time to narrow differences on a Franco-British statement on the Iranian nuclear crisis, diplomats said. No new date had been set.

Western powers see adoption of the non-binding statement as the first step in a graduated response that could ultimately lead to sanctions against Tehran.

But Russia and China, which have close economic and energy ties with Tehran, oppose sanctions and insist on the International Atomic Energy Agency retaining the lead role in the issue.

Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful and denies it is pursuing nuclear weapons.