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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Iran president cancels UN visit | Iran president cancels UN visit |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Iran's president will miss a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on Saturday because the US delayed issuing visas, Iranian officials say. | Iran's president will miss a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on Saturday because the US delayed issuing visas, Iranian officials say. |
| Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had planned to attend the meeting, at which a vote on imposing fresh sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme is possible. | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had planned to attend the meeting, at which a vote on imposing fresh sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme is possible. |
| But a spokesman for the Iranian mission told the BBC visas for the president's air crew were issued too late. | But a spokesman for the Iranian mission told the BBC visas for the president's air crew were issued too late. |
| Talks on a resolution imposing more sanctions have been paused briefly. | Talks on a resolution imposing more sanctions have been paused briefly. |
| Negotiations | |
| The Iranian leader had wanted to address the Security Council before it holds any vote on further sanctions against Tehran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment. | |
| In December, the Security Council imposed limited sanctions on the country over its refusal to halt the programme which Iran insists is purely peaceful in purpose. | |
| It is still unclear whether the vote will take place on Saturday as last-minute negotiations continue at the UN headquarters. | |
| How can they say they are too late to come if the Security Council has not given a date and time for the event? US spokesman Richard Grenell | |
| Britain, France and the US want a Saturday vote but Qatar, Indonesia and South Africa, also members of the Security Council, have concerns. | |
| The Iranian spokesman told the BBC that instead of the president, Iran's foreign minister and his deputy hoped to attend, travelling on a commercial flight. | |
| Paperwork | |
| In response to Iran's claims, a US spokesman pointed out that a definitive date for any Security Council vote has not yet been scheduled. | |
| "How can they say they are too late to come if the Security Council has not given a date and time for the event?" said Richard Grenell, a spokesman for the US mission to the UN. | |
| The US embassy in Berne, Switzerland, said it had issued a first batch of some 30 visas on Friday morning and the remainder, a further 40, later in the day once all the paperwork had been completed. | |
| The BBC's Laura Trevelyan, in New York, says that if Mr Ahmadinejad is not present, the occasion will be considerably less dramatic. |