Russian minister calls for new multi-party talks on Iran

Nov 11, 2006, 18:34 GMT

Moscow - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme would have to be resolved in accordance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and said both Russia and Iran would push for the resumption of multi-party talks on the issue.

Lavrov was speaking after a meeting Saturday between Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ari Larijani and Russian President Vladimir Putin as Iran attempts to avoid UN sanctions over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment.

Iran and Russia wanted the resumption of talks on Iran's nuclear programme between the five permanent UN Security Council members - France, Britain, Russia, the US and China - plus Germany, he stressed.

Larijani's Russian counterpart, National Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov also attended the talks at Putin's residence near Moscow.

On the first day of his Russian trip Friday, Larijani said there was no place for nuclear weapons in Iran's defence strategy but that his country would not forgo its right to a civilian nuclear energy programme.

Moscow newspaper Kommersant on Saturday predicted a change in the Kremlin's policy towards Iran in the wake of the green light given by the US Friday for Russia to join the WTO.

In return for WTO membership, Russia would now have to make concessions at the UN Security Council on possible sanctions towards Iran, Kommersant said.

The international community fears that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Russia and China have so far put the brakes on planned UN sanctions against Iran.

Former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer called Friday on the US to intervene directly in the nuclear talks with Iran by holding face-to-face talks with Iranian officials.