UNITED NATIONS, April 28: China’s United Nations envoy Wang Guangya on Friday restated Beijing’s opposition to western plans to invoke Chapter 7 of the UN charter to legally bind Iran to halt its uranium enrichment activities.

Mr Wang, who presides over the Security Council for this month, said the standoff with Iran over fears that it may be seeking to develop nuclear weapons, should be resolved through diplomacy.

“All we want is to work for a diplomatic issue, because this region is already complicated,” Mr Wang said. “I believe that invoking Chapter 7 will (make things) more complicated, and the implications will lead events to a direction that is uncertain.”

“We all know what Chapter 7 is... Clearly this would not be the end of the resolutions, this would be the beginning of a series of resolutions. Whatever we do we should promote diplomacy,” he added.

A Chapter 7 resolution is invoked to deal with ‘threats to peace, breaches of the peace, or acts of aggression’ and is binding on all UN member states.

It can authorise sanctions or even military action.

Several Security Council resolutions against Iraq were taken under Chapter 7, before the March 2003 US-led invasion.

This was also the basis for UN armed action during the 1950-53 Korean war and the use of international forces in Iraq and Kuwait in 1991.

Western diplomats here cautioned not to expect a call for immediate sanctions, saying this would require another resolution.

Russia and China oppose such drastic measures and instead urge patient diplomacy spearheaded by the IAEA. —AFP