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Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrives for an official meeting in Tehran Sunday. An Iranian Foreign Ministry official warned Sunday that Tehran would not remain passive if the West imposes sanctions over Iran's disputed nuclear program. (AP)
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| By Ynetnews October 25, 2006 |
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Iran has expanded its controversial nuclear work by starting a second cascade of centrifuges to enrich uranium, a semi-official news agency reported Wednesday.
The news came as world powers moved toward introducing a draft resolution in the UN Security Council that would impose limited sanctions on Iran because of its refusal to halt enrichment -- a process that can produce material for nuclear power reactors or weapons.
The Iranian Students News Agency quoted an anonymous official Wednesday as saying that Iran had started a second cascade of centrifuges two weeks ago and that "gas will be injected into the cascade during the current week."
"We will exploit the new product from the injection," ISNA quoted the official as saying, meaning that Iran would use the enriched uranium obtained by inserting gas into the centrifuges.
Meanwhile, the Russian Itar Tass news agency reported that the UN draft resolution makes an exception for the Bushehr nuclear power plant currently being built with Russia's assistance. Diplomatic sources were quoted by the agency as saying that by this the co-authors of the draft -- Great Britain, France and Germany -- want to avoid a possible veto on the part of Russia.
The exclusion of the Bushehr project, a light-water reactor being developed with Russian help in southwestern Iran, is in a sanctions resolution drafted by Britain, France and Germany. The three countries have led efforts to halt nuclear activities that the major powers say are aimed at bomb-making but Tehran insists are for energy production.
In New York, French UN Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere told Reuters the three European powers planned to put forward a draft U.N. Security Council resolution "during the course of this week. We are aiming for Wednesday or Thursday."
'We don't see eye to eye on all issues'
Russia, which is being paid $800 million by Iran for its work on the Bushehr reactor, holds a veto in the Security Council, so its support for the measure will be crucial.
The resolution would impose limited sanctions, including bans on nuclear and missile cooperation, after Iran ignored a Security Council demand to halt uranium enrichment by Aug 30.
In interviews, US and European officials said Russia, which like China has been hesitant about sanctions, would not vote for a Security Council resolution without an exemption for the Bushehr project, which is due to begin operation next year.
"It ensures that you get the Russians to go along," a US official said.
A European diplomat explained: "We think there shouldn't be any cooperation on the nuclear side and none on missile side or even a defense relationship (with Iran but) the Russians think it's OK for there to be nuclear cooperation as long as it's for civilian purposes."
Russia is believed to have some 1,500 technicians working at Bushehr and they are expected to remain, officials said.
US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said he was confident of an accord even after the diplomats said the allies have been split over some issues, including the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
"We have been partners with the Russians for 12 months in these negotiations, we don't see eye to eye on all issues, we sometimes have tactical differences. But I don't think that will be a major stumbling block," Burns told Reuters on Tuesday when asked about possible disagreements over Bushehr.
"We are satisfied we will be able to have at the end of the day, whenever that day is, it may take a little while, a good resolution that will hopefully convince the Iranians they made a serious miscalculation," he said during a visit to Bogota for talks with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.
This article first appeared on Ynet.
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