The foreign ministers from France, Philippe Douste-Blazy, Britain, Jack Straw and Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Javier Solana, European High Representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, (from left) brief the media after holding talks on the Iran nuclear issue in Berlin, Jan. 12, 2006. (Xinhua/File)

      BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Key European countries on Tuesday decided to move ahead with plans to refer Tehran to the UN Security Council despite an offer by Iran for resumption of talks, while Russia and China urged further negotiations to end the deadlock.

    Britain questioned the sincerity of the offer, made by Javad Vaeedi, deputy head of the Iran's Supreme National Security Council in a letter.

    A senior British official, asking not to be named, dismissed it as "vacuous", saying that "our ministers have been quite clear that we now need to engage the Security Council."

    "We're drafting a resolution, but we've not yet circulated it" beyond the governments of Britain, France and Germany, said the official.

    Belgium has agreed to refer the Iran nuclear issue to the UN Security Council and supported the convening of an extraordinary meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Feb. 2 and Feb. 3.

    Iran "agrees with the European Trio and the European Union that the time has come for the UN Security Council to become involved and to use all the potential of its diplomacy," Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht conveyed the message in a written statement.

    Meanwhile, Israel also vowed not to let the Iranians develop nuclear weapons. Israeli Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday that the Jewish state could not reconcile itself to the threat of a nuclear Iran.

    "Under no circumstances, and at no point, can Israel allow anyone with these kinds of malicious designs against us, to have control of weapons of destruction that can threaten our existence," Olmert told a joint news conference with Israeli President Moshe Katsav.

    "The state of Israel cannot reconcile itself to a situation in which there is a threat against us, just as, in my view, the nations of Europe and the United States cannot reconcile themselves," he said.

    "Israel had acted and would continue to act in full consultation with these international elements," he said when asked the possibility of Israel's military intervention.

    Earlier on Tuesday, an Israeli delegation left for Moscow, Russia, to discuss Israel's concerns over Iran's nuclear armament plans.

    Russia on Tuesday cautioned against imposing sanctions on Iran in the intensified dispute over its nuclear program.

    "Sanctions are in no way the best or the only way to solve the problem," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a press conference, adding the question of sanctions is "placing the cart in front of the horse."

    But he again said the nuclear talks can only resume if Tehran reintroduces its moratorium on nuclear research.

    "It is our common goal -- and I am convinced that it is the goal of any country concerned about security issues -- to guarantee the inviolability of the nuclear nonproliferation regime," Lavrov said.

    Russia's stances over the issue were echoed by China and the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was a "good option" to solve the Iran nuclear dispute by diplomatic means.

    This accords with the interests of all parties, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kong Quan at a regular press conference in Beijing.

    Amid heightened pressures, Iran on Tuesday urged the IAEA to keep the Iranian nuclear case in the technical domain and free from political influences.

    Ali Asghar Soltaniyeh, Iran's representative to the Vienna-based IAEA, made the call during his meeting with IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei.

    Alaeddin Borujerdi, chairman of Iran's Majlis ( parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, also urged ElBaradei to make technical evaluation which is in line with the IAEA mandate rather than political statements on Iran's nuclear program.

    "According to international law, Iran's nuclear dossier should not be referred to the UN Security Council," Borujerdi was quoted by the semi-official Mehr news agency as saying.

    The Iranian calls came one day after officials of the European trio of Britain, France and Germany as well as the United States, Russia and China held a closed-door meeting in London to discuss the Iranian nuclear issue.

    At the London meeting, the European trio informed the other participants of their intention to call for an emergency IAEA board of governors meeting on Feb. 2-3. Enditem