Iran hopes Russia will settle nuclear dispute

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Tuesday October 3, 2006

Tehran- The head of the Iranian National Security Council Ali Larijani on Tuesday expressed the hope that Russia would settle the dispute over Iran's controversial nuclear programme. "Both of us have agreed that solving the situation through negotiations is possible and we hope that Russia can help us in this direction," Larijani said at a joint press conference with Russia's Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov.

Larijani and Ivanov discussed the nuclear dispute for three hours behind closed doors at the National Security office in Tehran.

"Russia can play an effective role to enable a diplomatic solution, especially as we share close standpoints on the issue," Larijani said.

Also Ivanov said through an interpreter that Russia firmly believed that the nuclear dispute could be settled through negotiations.

"Russia will do whatever possible to make negotiations work and lead to positive results," Ivanov said.

Ivanov also reiterated Russia's commitment to complete the first phase of the Bushehr nuclear power plant as scheduled by September 2007.

The plant in the southern Persian Gulf port of Bushehr was initially scheduled to be completed by the Russians at the end of 1999 but was delayed several times.

Larijani further refrained from commenting on an interview by Iranian Atomic Energy Agency deputy, Mohammad Saeedi, with France Info radio Tuesday in which he had proposed that France create a consortium for the production of enriched uranium in Iran.

Besides President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki, Larijani is the only official to disclose political decisions by the Iranian government on nuclear issues. Saeedi has so far been responsible for technical issues only.

Sources close to Ivanov said that Larijani, who is also Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, had insisted on holding the talks.

Ivanov's visit to Tehran, Larijani's scheduled visit later this week with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, and Saeedi's remarks were described as a breakthrough in the nuclear dispute by Iranian state television Tuesday.

Iran had previously made the same proposal to Russia and other countries, even to its political foe, the US, but the West wants to avoid any enrichment process on Iranian soil, with or without foreign participation.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency