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OTTAWA – Top diplomats from the world's leading economies are ramping up pressure on Iran to prove its nuclear ambitions are peaceful or face tough new sanctions.
Opening a conference of foreign ministers from the Group of Eight main industrialized nations on Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Iran must halt its nuclear enrichment activities and comply with international demands to come clean about its atomic program.
On behalf of the ministers, Harper urged the world to adopt a heightened focus on the Iranian nuclear issue and take "stronger coordinated action" against Iran.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
OTTAWA (AP) — Top diplomats from the world's leading economies are ramping up pressure on Iran to prove its nuclear ambitions are peaceful, renewing calls for the country to be hit with new international sanctions if it fails to comply.
In meetings outside the Canadian capital on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and her fellow foreign ministers from the Group of Eight main industrialized nations will warn Iran again it faces fresh penalties if it doesn't come clean on its nuclear program.
But with Iran refusing to comply, their message will be largely directed at a country not represented at the talks here: China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council that is not a member of the exclusive G-8 club.
Support from China, a vocal opponent of sanctions, is critical as it wields veto power on the council. Until recently, it had balked at the mere suggestion of taking additional punitive steps against Iran. That, Clinton suggested, may now be changing.
In an interview with Canadian television on Monday, Clinton said China shared the view of the U.S., its European allies and Russia that "a nuclear-armed Iran is not acceptable."
"I think as the weeks go forward and we begin the hard work of trying to come up with a Security Council resolution, China will be involved, they will be making their suggestions," she said.
Publicly, China reiterated its stance that the countries should seek a solution through negotiations, not new sanctions.
"We hope relevant parties could fully show their flexibility and make further efforts toward a proper resolution of this issue through diplomatic means," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Tuesday at a regular news briefing.
China opposes nuclear weapons for Iran, but said the country has the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Iran is already under three sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions and China had been holding up consideration of a fourth. But last week it softened its position in a conference call among senior officials from the six nations working most closely on the matter, according to diplomats.
A senior U.S. official told reporters traveling with Clinton that the Chinese "have said now that they will engage on the elements of a sanctions resolution." The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing diplomatic negotiation.
In Washington, meanwhile, President Barack Obama met Monday with China's incoming ambassador to the United States. The White House said Obama stressed to the envoy the need for the two countries "to work together and with the international community on critical global issues, including nonproliferation and pursuing sustained and balanced global growth."
Opening a conference of foreign ministers from the Group of Eight main industrialized nations on Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Iran must halt its nuclear enrichment activities and comply with international demands to come clean about its atomic program.
On behalf of the ministers, Harper urged the world to adopt a heightened focus on the Iranian nuclear issue and take "stronger coordinated action" against Iran.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
OTTAWA (AP) — Top diplomats from the world's leading economies are ramping up pressure on Iran to prove its nuclear ambitions are peaceful, renewing calls for the country to be hit with new international sanctions if it fails to comply.
In meetings outside the Canadian capital on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and her fellow foreign ministers from the Group of Eight main industrialized nations will warn Iran again it faces fresh penalties if it doesn't come clean on its nuclear program.
But with Iran refusing to comply, their message will be largely directed at a country not represented at the talks here: China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council that is not a member of the exclusive G-8 club.
Support from China, a vocal opponent of sanctions, is critical as it wields veto power on the council. Until recently, it had balked at the mere suggestion of taking additional punitive steps against Iran. That, Clinton suggested, may now be changing.
In an interview with Canadian television on Monday, Clinton said China shared the view of the U.S., its European allies and Russia that "a nuclear-armed Iran is not acceptable."
"I think as the weeks go forward and we begin the hard work of trying to come up with a Security Council resolution, China will be involved, they will be making their suggestions," she said.
Publicly, China reiterated its stance that the countries should seek a solution through negotiations, not new sanctions.
"We hope relevant parties could fully show their flexibility and make further efforts toward a proper resolution of this issue through diplomatic means," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Tuesday at a regular news briefing.
China opposes nuclear weapons for Iran, but said the country has the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Iran is already under three sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions and China had been holding up consideration of a fourth. But last week it softened its position in a conference call among senior officials from the six nations working most closely on the matter, according to diplomats.
A senior U.S. official told reporters traveling with Clinton that the Chinese "have said now that they will engage on the elements of a sanctions resolution." The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing diplomatic negotiation.
In Washington, meanwhile, President Barack Obama met Monday with China's incoming ambassador to the United States. The White House said Obama stressed to the envoy the need for the two countries "to work together and with the international community on critical global issues, including nonproliferation and pursuing sustained and balanced global growth."
