United Nations - The dispute over Iran's nuclear program moved to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday where the five permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - met to evolve a proper strategy how to shelve Iran's nuclear venture.  This is the first time that the 5 permanent members met to discuss the Nuke affairs of Iran.

Most diplomats agree that the 15-nation council would issue a statement requesting Iran to honor the resolutions taken by the 35-member board of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

However the opinion is divided among the 5 permanent members.   The matter may be considered again on Friday.

According to Reuters, "In Vienna, the IAEA board ended a meeting on Iran's nuclear program that opened the way for Security Council action. IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei then sent a February 27 report on Iran to council members.

But Russia seemed to rule out tough council measures. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said sanctions against Iran would be ineffective and military action was not a solution.

"I don't think sanctions as a means to solve a crisis have ever achieved a goal in the recent history," Lavrov told reporters after meeting U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Russia is generally opposed to using Security Council mandates to punish Iraq. "We should all strive for a solution which would not endanger the ability of the IAEA to continue its work in Iran, while of course making sure that there is no danger for the nonproliferation regime," Lavrov said.
 
In Beijing, China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing called for more negotiations, saying, "There is still room for cooperation" and "we support the European Union and Russian engagement with Iran." China is known to oppose sanctions".