Friday, March 17 2006 14:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

United Nations: UN Security Council ambassadors reported a 'slight progress' in their effort to resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis as top foreign policy officials of the five permanent members and Germany decided to meet next week to chalk out a strategy on the issue.

Ambassadors of the 15-member Security Council for the first time reported progress on a tough presidential statement that the United States, Britain and France have drafted demanding that Iran abandon its uranium enrichment plans.

After a prolonged meeting in the French Mission to UN yesterday, ambassadors said China was now taking a more flexible position but that Russia was still holding out.

However, they were hopeful that consensus would be reached which would enable the Council to issue the statement.

A statement requires agreement among all 15 members but Britain and France could bring in a resolution which would need nine votes to be adopted provided there is no veto.

Even though no firm agreement was reached, American Ambassador John Bolton described the meeting as the best they have had so far.

"There are still areas of disagreement but I am very encouraged," he told reporters.

The members plan to hold formal consultation shortly which shows that they expect to reach some sort of agreement. But diplomats said they do not expect a final draft to be out by the time of Monday's meeting.

Russia and China have been expressing reservations on the text which is being discussed for several days with Moscow insisting that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials report on Iranian compliance to only the agency's board which then decide whether and how to transmit it to the Council.

The British-French draft, which USA supports, would like the IAEA to report back to the Council within two weeks after the statement is issued.

The draft does not hold out any threat but the short period to given to IAEA to report back would force it to take some action if the report shows that Tehran has not fully complied with its demand and has not stopped uranium enrichment.

Meanwhile, senior officials of the veto-vielding UNSC members, US, Britain, France, China and Russia along with Germany have decided to meet on Monday to discuss the issue.

US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns is expected to attend the meeting besides John Sawers of Britain, Stanislas de la Boulaye of France and Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergei Kislyak.

Germany is being associated with the meeting as it has been involved in negotiations with Iran and its foreign ministry political director Michael Schaefer is expected to attend the discussions.

They are likely to consider how to deal with post statement situation if Iran refuses to comply with the Council's demand that it abandon its plans for uranium enrichment.

Bolton made it clear that the scope of discussions of foreign policy officials would much wider than merely trying to arrive at a consensus on the statement.

Iran maintains that it has no nuclear weapon ambitions and its enrichment programme is only to produce fuel for its nuclear reactors for producing electricity but the United States and its Western allies suspect that Tehran wants to use the civilian ruse to make nuclear weapons.

Depending on the degree of enrichment, uranium can be used both for production of power and nuclear weapons.