Wednesday, March 22 2006 10:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

United Nations: With no results to show despite two weeks of intense parleys on Iran nuclear crisis, a dead locked UN Security Council has put off a formal closed door meeting to give more time to iron out differences over a tough Franco-British statement.

The meeting of all 15 members of the Council scheduled for late last night was put off by the 'Permanent Five' as Russia, backed by China, was pitted against other veto- wielding powers- US, Britain and France over the language of the text on Tehran's supected nuclear weapons ambitions.

Britain and France had drafted a tough presidential statement which would express concern over Iranian nuclear proramme, ask it to suspend uranium enrichment plans and call on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to report back to the Council within two weeks.

But Russia sees in it seeds of sanctions against Tehran and wants the Council to issue only a small statement reaffirming political support to the IAEA and let it handle the issue.

Amid signs of dejection in diplomats taking part in the negotiations, Western diplomats insisted they were still hopeful that some common ground would be found.

But Moscow made it clear that chances of its backing off from its stance are remote.

Russia would like the IAEA to continue to play main role in persuading Iran to give up its uranium enrichment programme but the US and its Western allies want to send a strong signal to Tehran. Iran says its nuclear programme is for purely peacefulpurposes and it intends to produce fuel for its civilian atomic ower plants, but the US and its allies believe that it is a camouflage for producing nuclear weapons.

Top foreign policy-making officials of the five permanent members and Germany, whose diplomat had met them Monday night, apparently failed to narrow down the differences over the Franco-British statement.

A presidential statement in the UNSC requires consent of all members, and diplomats said if the efforts fail, the only alternative for the Western allies would be to bring a resolution and deter Russia and China to veto it.

But that course might not prove to be productive either, as it would bring out sharp divisions among the major powers if veto is indeed used.