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Divisions continue on how to stop Iran

World powers showed divisions on Wednesday over how to halt Iran's nuclear drive even as the US claimed growing support for sanctions.

"Nearly every country is considering some sort of sanctions and that is new," US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns said after two days of talks here with other UN powers and Group of Eight members.

But the US and Russia emerged from the meetings at odds over how to proceed, with Burns prodding Moscow to halt civilian nuclear cooperation with Tehran and Russia ruling out the use of military force.

Russia is Iran's biggest nuclear partner and is building the country's first atomic power station at Bushehr.

Meanwhile, the head of Russia's armed forces said his country would not take sides if the current Iran crisis led to a military conflict.

"Of course Russia will not, at least I as head of the general staff, suggest the use of force on one side or the other. Just as was the case in Afghanistan," chief of general staff General Yury Baluyevsky told reporters, referring to the 2001 US-led intervention to oust the Taliban.

Diplomats went into the Moscow talks repeating calls to build a united front in order to keep Tehran from exploiting their divisions to forge ahead with uranium enrichment.

Iran insists its program is peaceful, but Western powers -- led by the US -- suspect it of developing an atomic weapons program.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair had earlier on Wednesday called for a show of unity from the world powers huddled in Moscow.

"I would have thought that this is the time for the world to send a clear and united message to the Iranian regime," he said.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy warned, too, that the veto-holding UN Security Council permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the US -- must be together if they were to dissuade Iran.

"If, on the contrary, the Chinese and the Russians, if the international community is not united it makes it easy for the Iranians to continue" to defy international demands to halt the program, he said.

Paris and London were quick to stress that use of force was not on the table.

In Cairo, French President Jacques Chirac, who is visiting Egypt, said world powers must "explore all diplomatic possibilities."

Blair said, "Nobody is talking about military invasion of Iran or military action against Iran."

Russia and China, both of which have strong trade ties to Iran, have shown extreme reluctance to threaten the use of force or even sanctions against the regime.

Burns refused to rule out unilateral action by Washington but said it would be "best" to work with other countries in doing so.

"We are going to act to deny Iran nuclear weapons capability," he said.
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