0
BEIJING, Jan 26: China on Thursday backed a plan to have Iran’s uranium enriched in Russia, as Tehran’s top security envoy met Chinese officials in Beijing for talks on his nation’s nuclear program.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, on Wednesday gave fresh life to the Russian plan as a way to appease international concern that the Iranian nuclear energy program is a front for weapons.
Mr Larijani, who was in Moscow, said ‘we positively evaluate this offer’, and that the plan could be ‘perfected’ in talks with Russian officials next month.
Mr Larijani then travelled to Beijing, where he held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and other senior officials on Thursday.
A foreign ministry spokesman said in Beijing said China backed the plan to have Iran’s uranium enriched on Russian territory.
“We think the suggestion would be a good attempt at breaking the stalemate,” spokesman Kong Quan told a regular press briefing when asked about the proposal.
Mr Kong also reiterated China’s opposition to UN-imposed sanctions and that it preferred diplomatic efforts to any other method of ending the global standoff over Iran’s nuclear program.
“In treating similar complicated issues, our position has been very clear, we are opposed to the use of sanctions or the threat of sanctions to resolve problems, as this will often complicate issues,” he said.
China’s comments may have offered hope to Iran as it seeks to fend off efforts from the United States and the so-called E-3 nations of France, Germany and Britain to refer it to the UN Security Council over its nuclear program.
Under the proposed Russian arrangement, uranium for Iran’s nascent nuclear power program would be enriched in Russia in order to keep tabs on the material.
It would allay Western and Israeli fears that Iran secretly plans to build a nuclear weapon under cover of the civilian power project.
The European Union and the United States have previously given backing to the Russian plan.
However some concern has been expressed that, with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, due to meet on Feb 2 to discuss the Iranian issue, Iran is playing the Russian card to stall for time.
The IAEA could decide to send Iran to the UN Security Council, which could then lead to sanctions.
China has consistently advocated a policy of negotiations on the Iran nuclear issue.
IAEA CHIEF: UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei on Thursday said he was hopeful the Russian proposal to enrich Iran’s uranium in Russia could resolve the standoff over Tehran’s atomic programme.
“I am hopeful that the Russian proposal could provide the beginning of a solution,” Mr ElBaradei said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The Russian proposal could help Iran go through a ‘rehabilitation period’ in which it would accept not to engage in enrichment on its territory, Mr ElBaradei said. At the same time, it would be allowed to have access to what it needs for power stations.
“I still believe that we need Iran to show maximum transparency because there are a lot of question marks about its programme,” he said.
“Iran needs to be assured that they can use nuclear power for electricity but the international community needs to be assured that the Iranian programme is exclusively for peace purposes.”
Mr ElBaradei did not say whether Tehran should be referred to the UN executive, but underlined that any further steps toward New York did necessarily mean an end to the diplomatic effort to end the standoff.—Agencies
