IRAN/NUCLEAR POWER

Q - Do you have anything to say about Iran?

Talks are continuing in New York among the members of the Security Council. The Europeans are taking an active role in these discussions. We feel some progress has been made, but apparently there isn't complete agreement on a draft text or for that matter on the status of this text. We still don't actually know if it will be a presidential statement or a resolution. We would like the Security Council to be as united as possible in its reaction. That's why discussions are continuing.

You know the points under discussion. It's a question first of whether or not the demands made by the IAEA board of governors are to be restated, whom the IAEA report is destined for and the timeframe within which he has to act. Those are the main questions being addressed in New York. That's the focus of the discussions. As you know, there's to be a six-party meeting on Monday, at political directors level. The six are the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany or the three Europeans plus the US, Russia and China, which comes to the same thing. The meeting is part of the same sequence. It's not a case of opening a parallel discussion. The objective is still to help get the Security Council to take a position.

Q - What's the difference between a resolution and a presidential statement?

The main difference is that a presidential statement has to be unanimous in the Security Council whereas a resolution can be adopted by a vote.

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