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China, however, which sent a low-level diplomat to the meeting, maintained its position that it opposed new sanctions now. The five permanent members of the Security Council — the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France — along with Germany have been pursuing a “dual track' policy under which they would seek a negotiated settlement, but if that effort stalled, further sanctions would be imposed.
“We talked mostly about the second track, but it doesn't mean we should abandon the first one,' said Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's representative. “It is inconclusive in the sense that we didn't make any decisions right away.'
Western officials tried to cast a positive light on the meeting by suggesting that all six were at least moving in the same direction, even if it was unclear that China remained committed to the idea of a second track.
“The credible threat of further pressure does create some leverage over the Iranian system,' said one Western diplomat engaged in the talks. The senior diplomats agreed to consult again by telephone before the end of the month on the next step.
Most countries were represented on the level of senior diplomats, the “political directors' of their foreign ministries, but China virtually snubbed the gathering by dispatching a counselor from its United Nations mission. He Yafei, the former vice minister of foreign affairs, has now been appointed the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva and it is unclear who will eventually replace him in the talks.
The meeting Saturday was held in the New York offices of the European Union, whose representative said that there was at least “consensus' among the six nations to focus on the next step.
“We will continue to seek a negotiated solution, but consideration of appropriate further measures has also begun,' said Robert Cooper, a senior European Union official.
Both China and Russia voted in the Security Council for three previous rounds of sanctions, but only China has been outspoken in its recent opposition. Russia was upset that its offer to further enrich Iranian uranium at its facilities was rebuffed and that the Iranians did not seem serious about entering negotiations.
The Obama administration has also been dismayed that Iran has been dismissive of a yearlong effort to engage it. Iran maintains that its desire to enrich uranium is only for peaceful civilian purposes, but Western powers accuse it of using that as a smokescreen to develop nuclear weapons.
There is a sense of urgency about the matter, as there are concerns that Iran will develop the capacity to enrich uranium at the levels required for weapons, while negotiations drag on. In addition, the international Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is due for a review conference in May, and the Western powers want any new sanctions against Iran to be in place so as not to complicate any talks over the future of the treaty.