RI Abstains in UNSC Vote on Iran Resolution

New York, NU Online
Fourteen United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members voted in favor of a resolution providing for  additional sanctions against Iran but Indonesia abstained.

The Security Council’s  additional sanctions on Iran over its nuclear development program included  inspection of ships  suspected of carrying prohibited goods,  tighter monitoring of financial institutions and  extension of travel bans and asset freezes. 

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin, who led the UNSC meeting in his capacity as  UNSC president for March 2008, asked members whether there was a country choosing to abstain regarding  UNSC Resolution No. 1803.

Indonesia’s Ambassador to the UNSC Marty M. Natalegawa raised  his hand in response to Churkin’s request. Marty Natalegawa told the Council meeting that Jakarta was not convinced that "more sanctions, however incremental, well targeted and reversible, will  move us forward in resolving the question of Iran’s nuclear programme."

In his statement prior to the voting, Natalegawa had said  additional sanctions against Iran were not the best way at present. He said   Iran was now already cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Based on these considerations, Indonesia would choose to abstain, he said.   

Iran’s representative Mohammed Khazaee said the resolution did not meet "the minimum standards of legitimacy and legality," and emphasized that Iran’s nuclear programme was entirely peaceful and lay outside the purview of the Council.

The Council’s five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States - and Germany (currently not a Council member) also said they were willing to develop "all-round relations and wider cooperation with Iran," starting with direct talks and negotiations, if it was willing to suspend all uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities.

In addition to the five permanent members, UNSC has 10 non-permanent members currently, namely Indonesia, South Africa, Libya, Vietnam, Belgium, Italy, Croatia, Panama, Costa Rica and Burkina Faso.

The resolution adds to Council sanctions imposed in 2006 and another round last year. Under the resolution, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei was asked to report within 90 days on whether Iran had fully suspended uranium enrichment activities, in line with a previous Council demand.

Member states are called on to inspect ships entering or leaving Iran reasonably suspected of transporting goods prohibited as part of anyone of the three Council resolutions on the issue, and then to report to the Council on the details of the inspections.

In addition, the resolution bans  trade in and supply of ’dual-use’ items, materials and technologies that can be adapted for military as well as civilian purposes.

Travel bans have been imposed on five more Iranian officials and 12 Iranian companies face the risk of having their assets frozen, while all states were asked to step up their monitoring of financial institutions in their territories that have dealings with banks based in Iran, particularly Bank Melli and Bank Saderat.

If Iran does not comply with the resolution, and with the earlier two resolutions imposing sanctions, Council members reserved the right to take further steps to pressure Tehran to comply. (ant/to)