MOSCOW, Sept 1: Russia voiced regret on Friday that Iran had rejected international demands to halt uranium enrichment but said there was ‘a range of options’ yet to be considered and talk of sanctions should wait until after a meeting of world powers next week.
Russia shares the position of the UN nuclear watchdog agency and ‘expresses regret that Iran did not fulfil the demands of (UN) Resolution 1696 by the time designated in that document and did not stop work on uranium enrichment’, foreign ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said.
Mr Kamynin was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that Russia would work intensively with the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany — the ‘P5 + 1’ — in the coming days to determine how to proceed on the issue.
Russia and China, both veto-wielding permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, have joined calls for Tehran to halt the most sensitive nuclear work that can be used both for civilian and military purposes, but have said the problem should be solved though negotiations.
As international diplomatic tensions build over the Iran nuclear impasse, many are anxious to know how Russia and China will respond to pressure led by the United States for tough and early action against Tehran.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s approach to the Iran nuclear issue, saying Russia shared the goal of containing nuclear weapons proliferation but also wanted countries’ right to develop nuclear energy safeguarded.
“We wish to uphold the unshakeable nuclear weapons non-proliferation regime, while also respecting the rights of every country participating in the non-proliferation accord to the peaceful development of nuclear energy,” Mr Lavrov said.
“We will consider a whole range of options for resolving the Iranian nuclear question, but only those options that take us forward toward this goal and not those that prevent us from reaching it,” Mr Lavrov said after a speech to university students.
In his speech, Mr Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s aversion to the US drive to impose sanctions on Iran.
“It is an imperfect approach, both from the point of view of international law and of common sense, to isolate countries. A way out needs to be sought through dialogue and not through the path of isolation and sanctions,” Mr Lavrov said.
Speaking separately, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said discussion of international sanctions on Iran following the lapse of an Aug 31 UN deadline for Tehran to halt uranium enrichment was still premature.
“The sensitive issue of sanctions against Iran is not on the table today,” Mr Ivanov was quoted as saying by news agencies. “We must wait for the meeting of the six foreign ministers which will take place in Vienna on Sept 6.”
Russia has maintained for years that it has as much interest — if not more than any other country in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
However, by contrast to western countries, Russia also has long-standing good relations with Iran and considerable economic interests there — Tehran’s nuclear energy program is being developed with Moscow’s help under contracts worth 800 million dollars.—AFP