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"There are no grounds for anyone, including Russia, to defend Iran’s position," Konstantin Kosachev said. "We should discuss an appropriate plan of coordinated action for the international community." Kosachev said economic sanctions against Iran, which many countries suspect of seeking to build nuclear weapons under the cover of civilian research, would be a proper response. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) referred the Iranian "nuclear file" to the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions and other punitive measures if Tehran is found in breach of its international obligations. Kosachev said it was not Moscow’s problem that Iran had turned down a Russian proposal to enrich uranium on Russian soil for use in the Mideast country, a proposal designed to allay fears that the Islamic Republic might use nuclear fuel for weapons production. "Russia was the only country that made constructive proposals, rather than pressurizing Iran," he said. Iran announced Sunday that it was no longer considering the Russian initiative, and intended to carry out large-scale enrichment on its own soil. "The Russian proposal is not on the agenda any more," an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said. Iran has technically not violated the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which stipulates countries’ rights to a civilian nuclear program and which allowed Russia to advance its proposals, Kosachev said. Russia’s initiatives, including the creation of a network of international uranium enrichment centers to give countries access to nuclear technology for peaceful means, are designed to compensate for shortcomings in the NPT, he said. "This proposal remains valid and must be implemented irrespective of how the Iranian problem is resolved," he said. Kosachev regretted that Tehran had turned down the only realistic proposal made so far, adding that the issue would be discussed in the Security Council in a "different manner". However, the head of Russia’s nuclear agency said Monday that the proposal remained valid on condition that Iran adhered to the demands put forward by the IAEA, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, and re-imposed a moratorium on uranium enrichment. "Our proposal remains in force, but only as part of a comprehensive approach," Sergei Kiriyenko said. Related Articles: ** Russia
Disappointed with Iran Over Nuclear
Talks – Lavrov Russia
Disappointed with Iran
"We are highly disappointed with Tehran’s conduct during these talks," Sergei Lavrov said. "Iran is absolutely failing to help those [parties] who are seeking peaceful ways to resolve this problem." He refused to comment on Iran’s decision to turn down a joint uranium-enrichment venture with Russia. "I cannot comment, as Tehran is sending contradictory signals," he said, adding that the proposal "never depended on whether Iran would accept it or not." "It was made as part of multilateral efforts in the search for peaceful solutions," he said. The minister added that the two countries would hold bilateral talks on the nuclear file soon. "The Iranian side approached us recently with a request to hold negotiations," Lavrov said. Russia’s initiative was widely seen as a compromise in the crisis surrounding the Islamic Republic, which many in the West suspect of pursuing a covert nuclear weapons program, a claim that Tehran has consistently rejected. Russia
to Adjust Position After Iran’s
"Moscow will study the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s statement on the proposal to enrich uranium on Russian territory, after which it will adjust its position on this issue," Kamynin said. According to Kamynin, the Russian Foreign Ministry currently does not have a full official text of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s statement. "Meanwhile, Russia continues to speak for the peaceful and diplomatic settlement of the Iran nuclear issue," Kamynin said. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said that Tehran was no longer considering Russia’s proposal to move uranium enrichment to Russian territory and was instead considering large-scale uranium enrichment at home. "The Russian proposal is not on the agenda any more," Asefi said. The situation has changed. We have to wait and see how developments unfold within the five veto-holding countries (the UN Security Council), he said. The International Atomic Energy Agency decided Wednesday to refer Iran’s "nuclear file" to the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions on Tehran if it is found to be in breach of its international commitments. Russia’s initiative was widely seen as a compromise in the crisis surrounding the Islamic Republic, which many in the West suspect of pursuing a covert nuclear weapons program, a claim that Tehran has consistently rejected. Russia
Says No Joint Enrichment Venture if
"The IAEA demands include Iran’s resumption of moratorium on uranium enrichment and ratification of an additional protocol to the Nonproliferation Treaty," the official said. "Since Iran has failed to reach agreement with the IAEA, Russia considers the creation of a joint venture impossible," he said. Commenting on Turkey’s proposal that a joint enrichment venture be created in Turkey, the Russian representative said that "the absurdity of this proposal is obvious to experts in the field." "Turkey does not have the necessary nuclear-fuel cycle technology, while hypothetical transfer of uranium enrichment technology to the country (Turkey) from its NATO partners would be a direct violation of the nonproliferation regime. So there is no point in taking this proposal seriously," the official said. |
