Asian powers oppose sanctions against Iran
BEIJING (Agencies) - China opposes sanctions against Iran because they "cannot fully solve the problems", a senior official said Tuesday when asked about Tehran's vow to press ahead with its nuclear work.
"The Chinese government's position on the Iranian nuclear issue is very clear," said Sun Bigan, China's special envoy to the Middle East.
"We have all along stood for a peaceful settlement of the issue through negotiations, rather than resorting to force or threatening sanctions.
"Resorting to force and sanctions cannot fully solve the problems," Sun told reporters at a briefing as quoted by AFP. He said sanctions could create tensions "detrimental not only to the region but also to ourselves."
Japan reluctant to add oil to Iran sanctions
Meanwhile, Japanese government sources said Tokyo will propose that the international community refrain from imposing a ban on Iranian oil exports in the first stage of any sanctions that might be imposed should Tehran not halt its uranium enrichment, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.
The government will call on the international community to impose the sanctions in stages, and to lift the measures as soon as Iran suspends its uranium enrichment, the sources said Sunday.
Last month, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding Iran suspend enrichment by Aug. 31 or face possible sanctions.
The government hopes the international community will stand united in imposing possible sanctions against Iran, as the punitive measures will have more bark than bite if they are only enforced by some UN member countries, the sources said.
The government will explain the proposals when Senior Vice Foreign Minister Katsutoshi Kaneda meets with the International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei in Vienna on Aug. 29, the sources said.
The government hopes to avoid losing oil supplies from Iran, which account for about 14 percent of total oil imports, the sources said. The five permanent UN Security Council members--Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States--and Germany presented a package of proposals in June aimed at pressing Iran to halt its nuclear program, including uranium enrichment. Iran on Tuesday presented its response to the ambassadors of the mentioned countries. A Swiss diplomat in Tehran received the written response on behalf of the U.S.
Because a new resolution is needed to impose economic sanctions, the Security Council likely will set about discussing the matter, the sources said.
The government concluded that economic sanctions are inevitable as a means to apply international pressure on Iran. However, a ban on Iranian oil exports would deal a blow to the global and Iranian economies, so the government decided to propose that financial sanctions be imposed first and the oil embargo be shelved for the time being, they said.
In addition to the potential loss of imported oil, the government also is concerned about the adverse impact the sanctions might inflict on the concession rights of Japanese oil firm Inpex Corp. in the Azadegan oil field in southwest Iran.
The inclusion of a provision stipulating the removal of the sanctions if Iran halts uranium enrichment in a new resolution is designed to keep a lid on the sanctions so the government can maintain good relations with Iran, the sources said.
However, some U.S. government officials and lawmakers have called for development of the Azadegan oil field to be frozen because Japan has been more lenient with Iran for the sake of the nation's economic interests.
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