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Summary
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday the United Nations Security Council had lost a historic opportunity to negotiate with Iran on its nuclear program by imposing new sanctions.Brazil and Turkey, angry at the West's dismissal of an atomic fuel deal with Iran that they say made new sanctions unnecessary, voted against the fourth round of sanctions imposed by the 15-nation council against Iran. Lula said, after an event in the northern city of Natal, that the U.N. resolution was an error. Sadly, this time it was Iran who wanted to negotiate and those who didn't want to negotiate were those who think that force resolves everything. I think that taking this decision was a mistake, he told the reporters. The resolution calls for vigilance over transactions with any Iranian bank, including the central bank, blacklists companies and government firms as well as sets up a cargo inspection regime like one in place for North Korea. Lula called the UN resolution a false victory that underscored Brazil's longstanding calls to reform the council. He added that the Security Council had lost the chance to reach a negotiated resolution. I think the Security Council threw out a historic opportunity to negotiate calmly on Iran's nuclear program and also to discuss in a deeper way the deactivation in countries with nuclear bombs, he said. Brazil and Turkey helped broker an agreement announced in May under which Tehran agreed to send uranium abroad, reviving a fuel swap plan drafted by the United Nations with the aim of keeping Iran's nuclear activities in check. US officials regarded last month's deal as a delaying tactic by Iran. The West suspects Iran's nuclear program is aimed at developing the means to build nuclear bombs, but Brazil has argued that sanctions are counterproductive and has tried to use its growing diplomatic weight to mediate in the standoff.
