Brazilian president says decision on Iran sanctions "undermines UN"

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday that the decision of the United Nations (UN) Security Council to implement a new round of sanctions against Iran was "a mistake" that undermines the multilateral organization, Xinhua reported.

Speaking to reporters after participating in an event in Natal, in northeast region of his country, the leader criticized the decision of the Security Council to impose sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

Member countries of the Security Council voted on Wednesday morning and the majority (12 votes) was in favor of imposing sanctions, only Brazil and Turkey were against the measure, and Lebanon abstained.

According to the US-led powers, responsible for the proposal to apply sanctions, there are doubts about whether the Iranian program is really only for peaceful purposes, as Brazilian and Turkish governments trust.

"Instead of calling Iran to the table, they decided, in my personal opinion, only by stubbornness, to maintain the sanctions. I think the decision was a mistake. It is like that strict father, who is forced to give the child a few slaps, even if the child does not deserves it," he compared.

The measure represents the dissolution of the agreement signed between Iran, Brazil and Turkey for swapping uranium, which in the vision of the Brazilian government could pave the way for a negotiated solution to the controversy.

The agreement signed on May 17 in Tehran had established a swap deal, according to which Iran agreed to ship 1,200 kilos of its 3. 5 percent low-enriched uranium to Turkey for deposit in exchange for 120 kg of 20 percent high-enriched uranium.

After the new sanctions announced Wednesday, Tehran said that the agreement was null and void.

For Lula da Silva, the Security Council "lost a historic opportunity to negotiate on Iranian nuclear program peacefully."

"It is an episode that undermines the Security Council of the United Nations. The Council represents a balance of power dating back to 1948, when it was created," he said, insisting on the claim that the body must be reformed, allowing emerging countries greater representation.

"It makes me sad because everyone is in favor of reforming the Council. Everyone says Brazil must be part of the Council, but ( this speech) lasts already 17 years," he said.

The Brazilian leader said he had discussed with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to define their position to vote against sanctions in the meeting of the Council.

"I hope that the partner (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad will remain calm. I talked a lot with the prime minister of Turkey and decided to vote against it (the sanctions) because we have our name on an agreement," Lula da Silva stressed.