France says Iran will be sanctioned

AP/Washington Post:

The French foreign minister said Wednesday that Iran will face U.N. sanctions for refusing to halt its nuclear program but that major world powers remain divided over their extent.

"The question is about the scope of sanctions but there will be sanctions," Philippe Douste-Blazy said on RTL radio. His ministry said Tuesday that six nations meeting at closed-door talks in Paris had made "substantive progress" but failed to reach an accord on a resolution to punish Iran for defying demands to cease enriching uranium.

Iran's hard-line president threatened to downgrade relations with the 25-nation European Union if sanctions emerged from the talks among diplomats from the permanent Security Council members _ the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia _ as well as Germany and the EU.

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... The Russians agreed to a measure prohibiting financial transfers to "problematic" Iranians linked to nuclear or ballistic missile programs, the diplomat said.

Russia still opposes the broader asset freeze that the European players _ Britain, France and Germany _ proposed in a draft U.N. resolution presented in October, the diplomat said.

The problem with multi lateral cooperative efforts is that all that can be accomplished is the maximum that the proponents of the minimum will accept. In this case the Russians will agree to a very small maximum that will have little practical effect although it will at least provide a fig leaf of sanctions against an odious regime. It is sort of like a cooperative club house that is furnished with cast off furniture because some of the members do not want to spend the capital to do it right.