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Russia Works On Resumption Of Six-Party Iran Talks

PRAGUE, November 11, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Russia says it wants to restart talks between Iran and the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said following a meeting on November 11 in Moscow between President Vladimir Putin and Iran's top nuclear negotiator.

Russia says Iran might be willing to return to negotiations though there seems to be no radical changes in the Iranian position.

Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, held talks in Moscow with Putin and Lavrov.

The Interfax news agency reported that Larijani's discussion with Lavrov lasted about five hours.

"There is an agreement that our contacts will be continued and, of course, we will work on achieving our common goal, the resumption of six-party talks, Lavrov told reporters after the meeting. "In the near future we will continue having contacts with the members of the six-party talks, who have offered Iran some ideas as the basis for resumption of the talks and Iran has responded to it."

Iran Continues Enrichment Work

Meanwhile, in Tehran, Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki said Iran was ready to consider a proposal to enrich uranium in Russia but he said Tehran would not stop similar work inside Iran. "Iran seeks to preserve its rights to nuclear technology on its soil but it does not contradict joint work with others in other areas," he said.

Mottaki added that "Iran will not accept anything beyond the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] charter and the NPT [Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty] concerning its heavy-water plant or its other activities."

Today, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad criticized the UN Security Council over its efforts to impose sanctions on Iran. Ahmadinejad said the UN is applying a double standard, saying that it was pursuing Iran, "while those countries, armed with nuclear weapons, deny the rights of other countries to produce nuclear fuel and exploit it for peaceful purposes."

International Divisions Unresolved

The five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany will resume attempts on November 13 to agree on how to censure Iran.

The tough proposed sanctions, which include travel bans and financial restrictions on Iranian scientists working on the nuclear and missile programs, have been the subject of several exploratory meetings among the six envoys, but nothing has been decided because of Russian objections.

Russia and China, which both have significant energy and trade ties with Tehran, view the European draft as too tough. Russia has offered amendments that would reduce the scope of the sanctions proposed by the EU countries.

Meanwhile, the United States is pushing for even tougher sanctions that are even less acceptable to Moscow and Beijing.

Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org