G 8 Nations Call For Strong Measures Against Iran By Lauren Frayer

Top diplomats from the world's leading industrialized nations are ramping up pressure on Iran over its disputed nuclear program, demanding that Tehran prove its ambitions are peaceful or face punishment.

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Lauren Frayer
Contributor

AOL News (March 30) -- Top diplomats from the world's leading industrialized nations are ramping up pressure on Iran over its disputed nuclear program, demanding that Tehran prove its ambitions are peaceful or face punishment.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wraps up a two-day meeting today in the Canadian capital with her counterparts from the so-called Group of Eight countries. They're expected to release a communique calling on the international community to take "appropriate and strong steps" against Iran over its failure to come clean about the nature of its nuclear program.

Tehran insists that any uranium it is enriching to a high potency is only for peaceful uses -- generating electricity or for medical purposes -- but Washington and its allies suspect the country is trying to produce atomic weapons. Iran has already been slapped with three rounds of United Nations sanctions because of its persistent secrecy on the issue.

A draft of the G-8's final communique, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, says the G-8 remains open to dialogue with Iran but says its defiance is of "serious concern."

"Iran's continued noncompliance with its United Nations Security Council and IAEA obligations regarding its nuclear program is of serious concern to G8 ministers," the document said, referring to the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. "Ministers agreed to remain open to dialogue and also reaffirmed the need for the international community to take appropriate and strong steps to demonstrate ... resolve to uphold the international nuclear nonproliferation regime."

The draft did not mention the word "sanctions." But this week's Ottawa summit marks the latest step in Washington's efforts to push for more punitive measures against Iran, and to get allies on board with the idea.

With Tehran still defiant, the real focus is on China, which has veto power over any U.N. Security Council resolutions, and has so far urged more dialogue with Tehran rather than punitive measures. Russia had held the same view, but officials indicated to Clinton while she was in Moscow recently that they are not inclined to veto a resolution calling for sanctions if other Security Council members achieve consensus.

But China, which enjoys close economic ties to Iran, has repeatedly called for the world to find a diplomatic solution instead. Beijing is not part of the G-8 and hasn't had representatives at this week's Ottawa meetings.

On Monday, Clinton downplayed the idea that Beijing is out of step with other world powers on the issue of Iran.
"China is part of the consultative group that has been unified all along the way, which has made it very clear that a nuclear-armed Iran is not acceptable to the international community," Clinton told Canada's CTV in an interview.

In Washington, one of Clinton's deputies, James Steinberg, told reporters there that the U.S. has been getting encouraging signs from Beijing. "We've had a recognition by our Chinese counterparts of the danger of the Iranian nuclear program and the fact that there does not seem to be a willingness [by] the Iranians to take the very generous offer," he said.

He was referring to an offer of a nuclear fuel swap, brokered by the IAEA, that would have had Tehran send its low-level uranium abroad for enrichment in Russia or France. Tehran rejected the idea, in a move that prompted Moscow to warm to the idea of sanctions instead.

The White House also issued a brief statement Monday saying President Barack Obama had met with the new Chinese ambassador to Washington and told him their two countries need to "work together and with the international community on critical global issues, including nonproliferation and pursuing sustained and balanced global growth."

The G-8 meeting ends today in Ottawa. The group is also expected to take up other issues, such as the impasse over North Korea's nuclear program, nuclear nonproliferation and the threat posed by extremist groups -- underscored by Monday's suicide bomb attacks on Moscow metro stations that killed 39 people.

The G-8 ministers issued a statement afterward condemning the bombings as "cowardly terrorist attacks" and calling for those responsible to be brought to justice.