Putin says Iran sanctions could wreck nuclear talks
12/07/2006 13:34 MOSCOW, July 12 (RIA Novosti) - Sanctions against Iran could wreck the current positive process in the talks on Iran's controversial nuclear program, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.
"We are not favor of allowing everybody to buy nuclear weapons or delivery vehicles," Putin said in an interview with Canadian television channel CTV. "We are in favor of finding coordinated decisions together, including within the G8. We will be trying to achieve this."
"But if today, without receiving Iran's response to the proposals made by six countries, we impose some kind of sanctions, we will wreck the positive process that has only just emerged," Putin said.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana presented a package of incentives for Iran, which many countries suspect of pursuing a secret weapons program, in return for its consent to halt uranium enrichment during his visit to the Islamic Republic on June 6.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tehran would respond to the Iran-6's package of incentives by August 22.
"This problem has existed for several years," Putin said. "What will change if we wait for another three weeks? I think nothing will change. Therefore, we need no commotion."
Putin said the development of nuclear technologies required the international community's attention not only because of the Iranian crisis but also because of "other countries that are on the verge of developing nuclear technologies."
He said this weekend's summit of leaders from the Group of Eight industrialized nations in St. Petersburg would focus on energy security, including Russia's proposal to establish a network of centers for uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel processing.
The leaders of Russia, Germany, France, the United States, Canada, Italy and Japan will gather in St. Petersburg on July 15-17.
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