Moscow,
Tehran nuclear talks to resume 'very soon': Russian FM
AFP
MOSCOW
Petroleumworld.com
03 14 06
Moscow and Tehran are to resume talks "very soon" over
the Islamic republic's nuclear programme, Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov said Monday ahead of a meeting of the UN Security
Council on Iran.
"The Iranian side has again come to Moscow with a proposal
to hold talks and they will take place very soon," Lavrov
told reporters.
Lavrov stated bluntly that Moscow was disappointed by Iran's stance
in previous talks between the two countries on a Russian proposal
to enrich uranium on behalf of Iran on Russian territory.
"We are extremely disappointed by the behaviour of Iran in
the negotiations, which does not help those who want to find a
peaceful way of resolving the situation," Lavrov said.
The compromise, conditional on Iran resuming a moratorium on sensitive
nuclear activities in line with demands made by the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has been seen as a way of easing
Western distrust of Iran's nuclear ambitions.
"We are hearing contradictory signals from Tehran, sometimes
they are refusing, sometimes they're not," Lavrov continued.
On Sunday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi
said the Russian proposal could still be negotiated -- a few hours
after saying the offer was off the agenda after the IAEA last
week voted to refer Iran to the UN Security Council.
The UN Security Council is expected to meet soon to discuss Iran's
nuclear programme, with Washington pressing for sanctions against
the Islamic republic, while Moscow and Beijing have called for
continued negotiations.
In an interview with the liberal daily Vremya Novostei published
Monday Lavrov said there was no coherent strategy for dealing
with concerns on Iran and cautioned the United States against
using the United Nations to pursue its own political objectives.
Russian officials meanwhile insisted Monday that Moscow's proposal
remained on the negotiating table, despite an apparent failure
to reach a deal after three rounds of high-level talks between
Iran and Russia.
Russia's proposal would guarantee that the enriched uranium is
used for peaceful energy-generating purposes and not as an ingredient
to build a nuclear bomb.
Western powers accuse Iran of using a civilian atomic programme
as cover for building nuclear weapons, while Iran insists it has
a right to develop a peaceful nuclear programme as a signatory
of the nuclear Non-Proflieration Treaty (NPT).
The IAEA last Wednesday sent an assessment report on Iran's program,
which the West fears is hiding a covert drive for the atom bomb,
to the Council. Unlike the IAEA, the Council has the authority
to impose punitive measures such as sanctions.
This prompted Iran to threaten the United States with "harm
and pain" for leading the charge.
AFP
03 13 06
Copyright
© 2006 AFP. All rights reserved.
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