BACK TO NEGOTIATION EXPECTED SOONER OR LATER
In addressing the Iran nuclear issue, the UN Security Council has always followed the double track of punishment and negotiation.
In adopting the new resolution, the relevant parties have also stressed that point. The six powers, which negotiated the new resolution during the past several months, attached in the resolution the full content of their proposal for restarting negotiations with Iran.
"The secretary-general continues to support a comprehensive and negotiated political solution to this issue and called for dialogue and consultations on the matter," a spokesman for Ban said after the resolution was passed.
The United States, which had led the push for the new UN sanctions, also made clear it still wants diplomatic efforts.
"I want to be clear, these sanctions do not close the door on diplomacy.Iran continues to have the opportunity to take a different and better path," President Barack Obama said after the resolution was adopted.
China has also called for going back to the negotiating table as soon as possible.
"The action taken by the Security Council should be appropriate, incremental, clearly targeted, and in line with the actual practice of Iran in the nuclear field, and it should reinforce the diplomatic efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue," Li Baodong, the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, told the Security Council meeting.
"We are of the view that sanctions can never fundamentally resolve the Iranian nuclear issue, it is imperative to return to the track of dialogue and negotiations," he said. "Adoption of the new resolution does not mean that the door to diplomatic efforts is closed."
Li said the new resolution was aimed at bringing Iran back to the negotiating table and activating a new round of diplomatic efforts.
British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant also said that all the UN resolutions punishing Iran are reversible. As long as Iran stops its illegal nuclear activities, all the punitive measures will be stopped and lifted eventually, he said.
