Official: Major Powers to Discuss Iran Sanctions on Friday

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http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1258566464349&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull

Six major world powers will meet in Brussels to discuss what measures could be applied against Teheran for its refusal to halt its nuclear enrichment program, an EU official said Thursday.

Friday’s meeting will include the UN Security Council’s permanent members – Britain, China, France, Russia and the US – plus Germany, the official said on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to disclose details of the gathering.

However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said that due to the fact that “there has so far been no final official answer from Teheran… There is currently no discussion on working out additional sanctions.”

Iran announced Wednesday it would not export its enriched uranium for further processing, effectively rejecting the latest plan brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency and aimed at delaying Teheran’s ability to build a nuclear weapon.

Following that announcement, US President Barack Obama said on Thursday that Washington has started talking with allies about new punishment against Iran.

Obama said a new package of punitive steps will likely be developed “over the next several weeks.” He did not get more specific about the nature of any new sanctions, which would require commitments of international support that are hardly clear yet.

“They have been unable to get to ‘yes,’ and so as a consequence, we have begun discussions with our international partners about the importance of having consequences,” Obama said in a brief news conference with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

Official: Major Powers to Discuss Iran Sanctions on Friday

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