Brazil, Germany clash on Iran nuclear sanctions

BRASILIA — Brazil and Germany differed sharply Wednesday on whether to threaten Iran with fresh United Nations sanctions in a bid to rein in its disputed nuclear program.Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim and his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle said after talks here they agreed it was crucial to allow the creation of a new nuclear power, but clashed on the issue of sanctions.Tehran must be given further opportunities to prove its willingness to cooperate with the United Nations, Amorim argued."We want clarity and transparency for the international community over Iran's nuclear program, but what we primarily see is Iran's willingness to negotiate," he told reporters when asked about potential UN sanctions against the Islamic republic. "There is no reason not to negotiate with Iran. It is necessary to show gestures of flexibility. We want a peaceful solution to the dispute without a great cost to the people of Iran." After the Brasilia talks, Westerwelle said he saw clear differences in the threat posed by Iran's nuclear ambitions. "We live on different continents and the distance to Iran between Brazil and Europe is great," Westerwelle said, saying European powers were "deeply worried" by Tehran's sensitive nuclear work. "We remain ready to negotiate. But since we have had the impression that our outstretched hand has nothing to grasp... we will have to talk about other measures." During a visit by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Brazil last week, she and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also clashed over how to rein in Tehran's disputed nuclear ambitions. Brazil is reluctant to back a US-led drive for a fourth set of sanctions on the Islamic republic, saying the move would likely be "counterproductive."It is a current voting member on the 15-strong United Nations Security Council, though not one of the five permanent veto-wielding members: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. Adoption of a resolution requires at least nine votes from the council and no veto

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