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Russia urges removal of sanctions against Iran

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 17, 2013 1:56PM GMT

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has called for the removal of international and unilateral sanctions against Iran in case the West's dispute over the Iranian nuclear energy program is resolved.

"The beacon, the main arrangement that we follow is the proposal by [President] Vladimir Putin that the recognition of Iran's right to [uranium] enrichment as part of its inseparable rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) should be accompanied by the introduction of full comprehensive international control over the Iranian nuclear program," Ryabkov told journalists in Geneva on Wednesday.

He added, "If such an understanding is reached, i.e. if all the rights of Iran as a signatory to the NPT are recognized in exchange for the introduction of control, then all sanctions - unilateral and multilateral - must be lifted in full."

The Russian deputy foreign minister further noted that this position of Moscow is increasingly reflected at the talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain - plus Germany.

Ryabkov also described Iran's latest plan for a solution that would put an end to the nuclear standoff as 'concrete and logical.'

"Everyone noted the concrete character of this proposal and its logicality, and emphasized that it is useful from the point of view of work that aims for a result," he stated.

"We hail the constructive charge of this proposal, it is significant. The P5+1 tried to follow up on this attitude by reacting to the Iranian ideas in such a way as to increase the chance of the necessary solution,' Ryabkov said.

Following the recent talks between Iran and the six powers in Geneva, EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, hailed the nuclear talks as the "most detailed" and most "substantive" ones ever held between the two sides.

She added that the six world powers are carefully considering a proposal offered by Iran during the talks, but noted that both sides have agreed not to disclose the details of Tehran's proposal, which she described as an "important contribution."

Zarif presented Iran's proposal titled "Closing an Unnecessary Crisis, Opening a New Horizon" to the six countries during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday.

MP/HMV/SS