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Major powers began negotiations on Friday for a fourth round of U.N. sanctions against Iran to curb its nuclear program, but Russia and China were expected to strongly resist more punitive measures.
Senior officials from France, Britain, Germany and the United States held a private session at the State Department early on Friday to discuss both Iran and Georgia, which Russia invaded last month.
Highlighting divergent views, China and Russia were excluded from the morning talks but were set to join other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany over lunch to discuss Iran, U.S. officials and diplomats said.
European and U.S. officials were unsure whether tensions with Russia over Georgia would delay or even scupper the imposition of more U.N. sanctions against Iran, which argues its nuclear program is intended to generate more power.
Moscow is at odds with Western powers over its actions in Georgia and relations with the United States, in particular, are at their lowest level since the Cold War ended.
"The Russians have always been very reluctant and usually every resolution of sanctions is an ordeal -- three or four months of negotiations, comma, by comma. I guess it will be more or less the same," said a senior European official.
"I think the big problems will also be with China," he added. "This resolution, if and when we get it, will be very weak," he added.
World powers have offered a package of trade and other incentives if Iran suspends uranium enrichment. So far, Iran has ignored the offer.
Earlier this week, the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report that Iranian stonewalling had brought to a standstill its investigation into whether Iran had covertly researched ways to make an atom bomb.
Iran has withstood three rounds of limited U.N. sanctions imposed so far and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated on Thursday Tehran would not suspend its uranium enrichment program and brushed aside the threat of more sanctions.
With four months left in office, the Bush administration's leverage is slipping on the Iran dossier, experts say, and Tehran, Russia and China are all taking this into account.
"My guess is that the sanctions will be watered down and there is every reason for the Russians to drag this out so that the new administration has to come to them," said Gary Samore of the Council on Foreign Relations.
"Even without Georgia, the Russians and the Chinese had the plan to run out the clock on the Bush administration."
PHOTO CAPTION
An anti aircraft gun in front of the Reactor building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
Reuters
