Japan wants oil left out of Iran sanctions Japan will propose that oil from Iran be left out of initial economic sanctions the international community may impose on Tehran if the country refuses to suspend uranium enrichment, a Japanese daily reported on Monday.
The Yomiuri Shimbun, quoting government sources, said the move would be seen as an attempt by Tokyo to safeguard energy ties with Iran -- its fifth-largest oil supplier -- in the event of sanctions. A Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman denied that Tokyo had decided on such a proposal. He said Tokyo was not framing its policies on the assumption that Tehran would turn down a package of incentives offered by the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany, for Iran to suspend enrichment. Resource-poor Japan has been in a tough spot in the diplomatic tussle over Iran's nuclear ambitions, stuck between a need to meet its energy requirements and a wish to stand behind the rest of the international community. Iran said on Sunday it would not suspend uranium enrichment, a process that has both military and civilian uses, defying a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding that it halt the nuclear activities by August 31 or face the threat of sanctions. But Tehran said it would formally respond by Tuesday to the package of incentives. Iran has insisted that its nuclear activities are aimed at meet its increasing electricity demand. Japanese officials have said Tokyo would join any international sanctions imposed on Iran, adding that resolving the nuclear stand-off takes precedence over its energy needs. However, the Yomiuri said Japan was expected to urge that sanctions against Iran be conducted incrementally, with oil trade excluded from the first stage, and that the punitive measures should be lifted immediately once Iran halts uranium enrichment. Japan has rights to develop Iran's Azadegan field -- tipped as one of the largest untapped oil reserves in the world -- but negotiations have been deadlocked since the deal was signed in 2004, when the project was thought to require an investment of some $2 billion. Iran has said it would finalize the Azadegan deal by August 22 with Japan's INPEX Holdings, but Japan's biggest oil explorer -- whose largest stakeholder is the government -- said no date has been set. Iran had long been Japan's third-largest supplier of oil, but Japanese refiners have cut down on Iranian oil following the nuclear stand-off with the West, and its standing fell to fifth place in June. http://english.alarabonline.org/display.asp?fname=2006\08\08-21\zotherz\941. htm <http://english.alarabonline.org/display.asp?fname=2006\08\08-21\zotherz\941 .htm&dismode=x&ts=21/08/2006%2003:16:25%20ã> &dismode=x&ts=21/08/2006%2003:16:25%20ã [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
