The UN Security Council Friday held its first closed-door meeting to discuss a British- French-drafted presidential statement about the Iranian nuclear crisis, on which key council members remained bitterly divided.

After the meeting, British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry told reporters that the 15-nation council is close to agreement on the statement which would have the council demand Iran's quick compliance with demands of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"The response we got from our colleagues today suggests that we are pretty close to where they wanted us to be," Parry said, adding that Britain and France are flexible on the timeframe for Iran's compliance.

The British-French draft, supported by the United States, would request IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei to deliver a report in 14 days on whether Iran has met the agency's requirements regarding its disputed nuclear program.

The requirements, listed in the draft, include resuming suspension of Iran's uranium enrichment-related activities and proving the peaceful purpose of its nuclear program.

In a contrast to Parry's positive assessments, Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya indicated that the five permanent council members -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France -- are still in disagreement on key elements of the draft, including the short deadline.

"We must leave sufficient time for diplomacy and for the IAEA to work ... I think at least four weeks to six weeks, this is my feeling," Wang told reporters.

"Basically we need to send a message through this that the Security Council is reinforcing the role of the IAEA, not to replace or take it over from the IAEA," he stressed.

Russian Ambassador Andrey Denisov echoed Wang's view, saying that "the crux of the idea is that the leading agency is the IAEA. "

The British-French text initially requested IAEA to report back to the Security Council but its revised version, circulated Thursday, requests the UN nuclear watchdog to report to the council and the IAEA Board of Governors "simultaneously".

The five key council members have held several rounds of private consultations on the text since IAEA sent its assessment report on Iran's controversial nuclear plan early this month.

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said the Security Council is expected to meet again next Tuesday on Iran's nuclear program, which Washington claims is designed to secretly develop nuclear weapons.

On Monday, senior officials of the five permanent council members and Germany are due to meet in New York to discuss the British-French draft and the council's future strategy toward Iran 's nuclear issue.

A presidential statement needs consensus among the 15 council members while a resolution requires a minimum of nine votes, without a veto from any of the five permanent members.

Teheran insists that its nuclear program is aimed at generating electricity and it is entitled to develop peaceful nuclear technology under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Source: Xinhua