Tuesday, May 9 2006 10:49 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New York: A meeting of foreign ministers of Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany hosted by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice failed to break the impasse over the need to invoke Chapter 7 of the UN Charter on the Iranian nuclear tangle, diplomats said.

Russia and China remained unconvinced with the arguments of US, Britain and France in support of their conviction that the new resolution seeking an end to Iranian nuclear enrichment programme should be under Chapter seven which makes the decision enforceable.

The meeting yesterday came as the American officials dismissed a letter sent by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to his American counterpart George W Bush, saying the document, which is 16 pages long in Persian and contains 18 pages of English translation, offers no solution to the nuclear issue.

Russia and China agree to the need for another Security Council resolution to demand Iran stop its nuclear enrichment programme but strongly oppose invocation of Chapter seven.

The Council, they said, has to act as Iran had defied its earlier statement asking to suspend its enrichment programme.

Their argument is that all resolutions of the Council are binding and Chapter seven provides for enforcement, which could mean sanctions and war to which they are opposed.

But the United States, Britain and France strongly believe that the resolution seeking end of the Iranian uranium programme must be under Chapter 7 and Washington has threatened to seek vote in the Council this week even without Moscow and Beijing coming on board.