Britain, France Introduce Iran Resolution

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - France and Britain circulated a draft resolution in the UN Security Council that would require Iran to freeze its uranium enrichment activities.

The text, also backed by the United States and Germany, invokes Chapter 7 of the UN charter, that can authorize economic sanctions and as a last resort the use of force.

But while it expresses "serious concern" that Tehran has failed to comply with UN demands that it meet non-proliferation obligations, the draft does not call for sanctions.

The draft did not give a date for Iran to comply, but Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, the French ambassador to the United Nations, said the resolution would give the Islamic Republic until early June to halt activities that Washington and its allies believes hides efforts to make a nuclear bomb.

Iran insists that its programme is peaceful and has rejected demands to end its uranium enrichment.

The draft text demands that "Iran shall suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, to be verified by the IAEA, and suspend the construction of a reactor moderated by heavy water."

It calls for a report by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and says the Security Council would then "consider such further measures as may be necessary to ensure compliance with this resolution and decides that further examination will be required should such additional steps be necessary."

The draft text stresses that "full verified compliance by Iran, confirmed by the IAEA Board, would avoid the need for such additional steps."

The UN Security Council passed a non-binding presidential statement in March which gave Iran 30 days to comply with IAEA instructions. This passed on April 28 and the IAEA said that Iran had failed to cooperate.

US ambassador John Bolton has called for a quick decision by the UN Security Council on the text as the foreign ministers of the permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- and Germany are to meet in New York on Monday to discuss Iran.