Wednesday, February 1 2006 11:27 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: The United States has said that countries, including India, will be 'free to make their choice' on whether to refer Iran to the UN Security Council when Tehran's nuclear case comes up for voting at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA )meeting on Thursday.

"I don't want to speak for other countries. I think there's a certain logic in the statement that was made last night that the extraordinary meeting should report.I think there's a certain logic in what that means for the meeting on Thursday. But you know...Obviously countries will be free to make their choice," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday (Jan 31,2006).

Rice was responding to questions whether she had the expectation that the five major powers plus Germany, as well as countries like India will vote affirmative to report Iran to the UN Security Council.

The Secretary of State also chose to state in unambiguous terms that there has been no dilution in what was achieved at Monday's meeting of the Permanent Five Plus Germany in London and what Washington has been pushing for all along on the issue. She also made it clear that 'to report' means the formal language of referral to the Security Council.

"So I want there to be no confusion here that a report is a formal step to the Security Council. I think you're free to use either, but let me just make clear that this is the referral that we were seeking," Rice remarked on her way back from the London meeting of the P-5 of Britain, China, France, Russia and the US plus Germany, on the Iran nuclear issue.