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Big powers discuss Iran sanctions

World powers scheduled to meet in London yesterday were likely to agree on the principle of imposing sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program but not to approve specific language, a US official said.

"What we would expect to come from this meeting is the political decision to move to the next step of diplomacy, which is a sanctions resolution," the official with the administration of US President George W. Bush said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the foreign ministers would likely ask their political directors to spend the next several days hammering out specific language on sanctions.

"I expect activities to intensify in New York and in other capitals," he said.

Divided

World powers are divided over how best to resolve the Iran deadlock. Russia and China have up until now been wary of rushing into sanctions and some European countries say diplomacy must be given more time.

Washington has been aggressively lobbying for sanctions at the UN Security Council after long-running talks with Iran to stop enrichment failed to produce results.

Ministers from Russia, France, Britain, the US and China -- the permanent members of the Security Council -- and Germany were due to meet in London at 5pm.

Iran again urged the West on Thursday to solve the dispute through talks but repeated it would not stop uranium enrichment. Tehran says the program is only for power generation but the West suspects it wants to make a nuclear bomb.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that his country would not be intimidated by threats.

"Those who threaten Iran by sanctions and embargoes should know that this nation lived under the hardest situation in the past 27 years and achieved nuclear technology. This nation will not be frightened by the threats," state-run television quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.

Iran insists that its enrichment of uranium is purely for peaceful purposes to be used for nuclear energy. But the US and many European nations believe Iran wants to enrich uranium to produce nuclear weapons.

Failed talks

Talks between European and Iranian negotiators have failed to convince Tehran to suspend its enrichment program.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, British Foreign Secretary Beckett and French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy will attend the meeting at Lancaster House, Beckett's official residence, their offices said.

Germany, Russia and China will also send high-level officials to the talks, an official said, but he did not know whether they would be foreign ministers.

The representatives are likely to confirm that the European-Iranian negotiations are at a standstill and issue a statement referring the Iran file back to the Security Council and stating the principles they agree on, a senior council diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because talks are still taking place.

Lower-level officials from the six nations will meet in London before the ministers arrive, the Foreign Office said.

Britain announced the planned talks after hours of conflicting reports about whether the ministers planned to meet, suggesting jostling among diplomats behind the scenes.
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