Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: U.S. pushes limits on deals with Iran Date: Sat, 21 Nov 92 17:35:41 EST Message-ID: \SE A;WORLD \SS (WS) \HD U.S. pushes limits on deals with Iran \BY ASSOCIATED PRESS \DT BONN, Germany BONN, Germany (AP) - The United States sought at a secretive meeting yesterday to persuade six other industrial nations to ban sales to Iran of all technology with military applications. The ban would include some items designed for civilian use. Iraq succeeded in becoming a military threat with the help of arms and "dual-use" technology from the West, and the United States is now worried that Iran could do the same. Officials from the Group of Seven nations - the United States, Britain, Germany, Japan, France, Canada and Italy - met at a secret location in Bonn. A spokesman for the German Economics Ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the seven allies were discussing coordination of weapons-export controls. He said the participants had not decided whether the outcome would be made public immediately. In Washington, an administration official said the United States wanted to push for an embargo on the sale to Iran of all dual-use technology. The U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said all seven nations were in agreement on the need to prevent sales of nuclear components to Iran. But he said extending that to dual-use technology is harder. Japan is reluctant to curtail technology sales to Iran, the official said, and even the Europeans are unlikely to be willing to go as far as the United States would like. U.S. policy on Iran requires an export license for any dual-use item. This, in principle, is only granted if the item is proven to be for non-military use. That policy did not work with Iraq. The officials also discussed curbing exports to Iraq, North Korea and Libya, sources said. All but Libya are suspected of trying to develop nuclear weapons capability. The United States is concerned about Germany's booming business with Iran. Germany is Iran's largest Western trading partner, with exports of about $4 billion. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM