January 22, 2008

U.N. Power Players Huddle On Iran

The U.N. Security Council meets in Berlin today to try to reach a consensus stance toward Iran -- a tough job, due to the differing positions of the five permanent members of the council, as well as Germany. President Bush emphasized the need to take a unified position opposing Iran on his recent sweep of the Middle East, about a month after a U.S. report suggested Iran had suspended its nuclear program years ago.

"Much of the momentum was lost when the National Intelligence Estimate came out,'' one analyst told Bloomberg News. "I think they will find it difficult to regain the momentum soon.''

Two permanent members of the Security Council, China and Russia, are opposed to taking further action against Tehran, and either country could veto new sanctions proposed by other members of the group.

Bloomberg has more background, and AP explains the goals of the talks.

Posted at 8:04 AM
Posted to: Iran, Middle East, U.N.
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