UNSC likely to issue statement on Iran next week

The United Nations Security Council is expected to issue a consensus statement next week, urging Iran to suspend uranium enrichment. This, even though Russia and China are still uncomfortable with parts of the Franco-British draft on Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.

As they emerged from the first informal closed-door consultations on Friday evening on the International Atomic Energy Agency's report on the issue, western diplomats said a compromise over the statement was possible over the next few days, as both sides were showing signs of flexibility.

"The response we got from our colleagues today suggests that we are pretty close to where they wanted us to be," Emyr Jones Parry, British envoy to the UN, told reporters. "Our wish remains that the Council should act expeditiously on this text and send the clearest possible signal (to Iran) to reinforce the activities of the IAEA."

French Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere also said that 'we are not very far now from the end of the discussion'.

The Council will meet again on the issue on Tuesday, a day after senior foreign policy-making officials of the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany hold discussions at the United Nations headquarters on a long-term strategy to meet the suspected Iranian threat.

The US will be represented by Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns. They are also likely to lend their hand at finalising the text and help reach a consensus.

Germany is being associated with the five permanent members' meeting as it is among the countries holding talks with Tehran.

Complete coverage: The Iran vote and after