Russia's foreign minister said Tuesday a new draft UN Security
Council resolution on Iran over its nuclear program largely met
Moscow's concerns and could become the basis of a consensus
decision.
"The new resolution prepared by the EU3 (European big three)
that is now being discussed in the Security Council has to a large
extent taken into account our approaches," Sergei Lavrov told the
Interfax news agency in an interview.
"We are counting on... being able to come to a consensus
decision in the UN Security Council that will prompt the Iranians
to sit down to negotiations and provide active and full cooperation
with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) on all the
remaining questions relating to Iran's nuclear activity," he
said.
It was not clear if these comments by Lavrov, in an exclusive
interview with Interfax in which he reviewed Russian foreign policy
in 2006, represented a diplomatic shift by Moscow.
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Western nations are pushing for a vote this week on a Security
Council draft resolution, which imposes sanctions on Iran for its
nuclear ambitions.
Russia, which has close economic ties with Teheran, has, with
China, been cautious up to now on the resolution, drafted by the
Europeans and supported by the United States.
The resolution is a reaction to Iran's failure to comply with an
August 31 UN deadline to suspend uranium enrichment, which can
produce fuel for nuclear power plants or for bombs.
Iran says it is pursuing nuclear power for peaceful means, while
the US and major European governments believe its research is a
cover for bomb-making.
Russia, which from the start of the crisis has been cooler on
sanctions, has objected at the United Nations to several provisions
in the draft, including a travel ban and a list of Iranians subject
to an assets freeze.
Lavrov said the new resolution in particular "focuses on those
spheres of nuclear activity which arouse the IAEA's concern the
enrichment of uranium, chemical processing and heavy water
programs, as well as limiting deliveries to Iran of goods and
technology which are related to the creation of nuclear weapons
delivery systems."
He made no specific reference to the travel ban or other areas
where Russia has been at odds with Western nations.
(China Daily December 20, 2006)
