UNITED NATIONS - France and Britain on Wednesday circulated a draft resolution in the UN Security Council that would legally oblige Iran to comply with UN demands that it freeze uranium enrichment but does not call for sanctions.

The text, worked out in close consultations with Germany and the United States, invokes Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which can authorize economic sanctions or even as a last resort the use of force in cases of threats to international peace and security.

It says "Iran shall suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, to be verified by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), and suspend the construction of a reactor moderated by heavy water".

It was submitted to the 15-member council during closed-door consultations on the report delivered last Friday by IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei, which concluded that Tehran had failed to comply with UN demands.

Iran insists that its nuclear program is peaceful and has rejected demands to end its uranium enrichment.

The Franco-British text does not call for sanctions at this stage but said the council would "consider such further measures as may be necessary to ensure compliance with this resolution and decides that further examination will be required should such additional steps be necessary".

It stresses that "full verified compliance by Iran, confirmed by the IAEA Board, would avoid the need for such additional steps".

Britain's UN envoy Emyr Jones Parry pointed out that "in terms of the next stage, this is a calibrated approach ...This process is reversible if Iran complies."

The draft also calls on "all states to exercise vigilance in preventing the transfer of items, materials, goods and technology that could contribute to Iran's enrichment-related and reprocessing activities and missile programs".

It says ElBaradei will be given an unspecified number of days to report on Iranian compliance both to the IAEA Board of Governors and the Security Council.

France's UN Ambassador, Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, however told reporters that Iran was expected to comply "no later than early June".

His US colleague, John Bolton, also spoke of a "very short period of time" for Iran to comply, adding "the key lies in Iran's hands".

But there was no sign that veto-wielding council members China and Russia, which are close trading partners of Tehran, were prepared to lift their opposition to sanctions or to the reference to Chapter 7.

Chinese ambassador Wang Guangya said Beijing remained opposed to Chapter 7.

Asked if Moscow would be ready to accept the draft if it was amended to address its concerns, Russia's new UN envoy Vitaly Churkin replied: "Of course, we participated in taking the decision that we should go ahead with the resolution."

"We have some things we feel very strongly about," he said."If people agree with those things, then as far as we are concerned it could be a very quick process. If not then it will probably take some time."

But Churkin also made clear that his government did not favor the use of force or sanctions to resolve the crisis.

"We do not believe that the matter can be resolved by the use of force," he said.

The draft emerged a day after senior officials of the council's five veto-wielding permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany failed to agree on a united response to Iran's defiance at a meeting in Paris.

Bolton said he hoped the council would vote on the Franco-British text before Monday when foreign ministers of the same six powers are due to revisit the issue at a meeting in New York.

Bolton said the ministers were meant to concentrate on "the broader picture".

Nicholas Burns, the number three at the US State Department, said after the Paris meeting that "all agreed that the Iran nuclear program should be suspended."

But he also voiced frustration with Russia and China, saying: "It's time for countries to take responsibilities, especially those countries that have close relationships with Iran."

Bolton also voiced impatience Tuesday and threatened to form a coalition of allies to impose sanctions on Iran outside the UN framework.

If the Security Council is unwilling or unable to impose sanctions on Iran, then "I'm sure we would press ahead to ask other countries or other groups of countries to impose those sanctions," Bolton told a congressional committee in Washington.

Iran retorted by accusing the United States of using bullying tactics.

The United States, backed by Britain, France and Germany, alleges that Iran is seeking a nuclear weapons capability under the cover of its civilian atomic program.

But Tehran argues that it has the right as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to conduct enrichment.

Copyright © 1999-2006 Lebanonwire^®.com. All rights reserved.