U.N. Council set Iran sanctions vote for Saturday

By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Security Council members reached broad agreement on Friday on a resolution imposing new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program but Iran's president cancelled plans to address the council.

The vote is scheduled at 8 p.m. British time on Saturday barring any last minute changes when the latest text is sent to governments of the 15 council members for final approval.

"There will be a vote tomorrow and we are all determined that vote will be unanimous," Britain's U.N. ambassador, Emyr Jones Parry, told reporters on Friday.

South Africa, which submitted amendments that gutted all the sanctions drawn up by the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany, is expected to vote in favour.

"We achieved not everything we wanted but we achieved a lot," said Pretoria's U.N. ambassador, Dumisani Kumalo.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called off his visit to New York to address the Council on Saturday because of the lateness in getting U.S. visas for his entourage, issued in Berne, Switzerland, Tehran's U.N. Ambassador Javad Zarif said.

But U.S. officials said there would have been time for him to get to New York. Instead Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, who had received his visa early on Friday, is taking a commercial flight to address the Council on Saturday.

Iran refuses to suspend work on enriching uranium, a process that can be used to make nuclear bombs, or be used for peaceful uses. Western nations suspect Iran is developing weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program.