UNITED NATIONS, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Britain, France and Germany on Thursday submitted a final draft resolution on Iran at the United Nations Security Council, with "the intention that there should be a vote on Saturday."
British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said the three cosponsors of the draft tabled a revised text that incorporated some of the amendments proposed by Indonesia, Qatar and South Africa that "reflect, catch the mood of what members of the Council wanted."
"We put it in the blue tonight. We've expressed an intention under which this resolution should be voted before the end of the weekend," Parry said. "We don't plan a vote tomorrow. But our intention is that there should be a vote Saturday."
He said the Security Council will meet Friday for "one final consideration."
Parry said the revised text did not incorporate some amendments that are "distractive to the sense" of obligations contained in previous resolutions on Iran.
He singled out a 90-day "time out" proposed by South Africa of sanctions against Tehran.
"It would have been to reward noncompliance by actually lifting the obligations. And that would be totally perverse," Parry said.
South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo expressed disappointment at the omission of some of Pretoria's amendments, describing the revisions as "cosmetic."
The new draft, which only has minor differences if compared with its previous text, would include a ban on Iran's arms exports, a call for voluntary trade sanctions and an expanded list of Iranian officials and companies subject to travel and financial restrictions.
South Africa also suggested a removal of the embargo on Iranian arms export and financial sanctions targeting the Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and an Iranian bank.
"We are disappointed because we made the amendments in good faith... (the cosponsors promised) they would give our capitals a chance to look at what they could accommodate, what they couldn't accommodate," said the South African ambassador. "But the way they are going about it now, it looks like, they are doing exactly what they said they wouldn't do."
"They are saying, in essence, it's done now. Just come and vote on Saturday," Kumalo said. "I guess tomorrow is just to meet and find out what time we would vote on Saturday."
All sides have hoped for a unanimous vote, but U.S. acting ambassador Alejandro Wolff said "the best possible resolution" remains the focus.
"Consensus was important, but the focus remains on the best possible resolution to retain the objectives inherent in the resolution and that is compliance by Iran with its obligations," Wolff said.
He said the United States also rejected a proposal by Indonesia and Qatar calling for a "Middle East free from weapons of mass destruction and all missiles for their delivery," dismissing it as a distraction from the main objective, which he said was to pressure Iran to abandon its nuclear enrichment activities.
The revised text, however, would include a paragraph emphasizing the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watch dog, and reiterate the package of economic and diplomatic incentives offered by the six nations to Iran in exchange for its suspension of enrichment activities.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans to defend Tehran's nuclear program at the Security Council on the day of the vote.
"I would advise the ambassador of Iran, that if the president is going to come, this is the time to start moving now," said the South African ambassador.
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