MOSCOW, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Russia is still looking for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis and wants Tehran to resume talks with the IAEA.
Igor Ivanov, secretary of Russia's Security Council said Tuesday the Kremlin still wanted Tehran to resume its negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency based in Vienna, Austria.
"The adoption of U.N. resolution 1737 on Iran (imposing sanctions against the country) did not in any way imply a shutdown of the talks process. On the contrary, the adoption was aimed at pushing Iran toward more active cooperation with the IAEA," Ivanov told a news conference at the RIA Novosti news agency.
The United Nations Security Council passed the resolution on Dec. 23 with Russian approval. The resolution called for Iran to immediately cease its ambitious program to enrich uranium and develop heavy-water and chemical reprocessing programs that could produce weapons-grade nuclear material and to make ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads. The Iranian government defied the U.S. resolution and said that instead it would re-evaluate its previous dealings with the IAEA.
However, Ivanov reiterated Moscow's determination to continue sending nuclear fuel to Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor although he said the process would be carried out under strict IAEA monitoring, RIA Novosti said.
Ivanov said the work by Russian companies to complete the Bushehr reactor complex and activate it was progressing according to plan and that the power plant would start operating in late 2007. the report said
Ivanov said Russia still backed IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei's plan to suspend the U.N. sanctions if Tehran stopped enriching uranium.
"This means Iran suspends its work on enriching uranium, and at the same time the U.N. Security Council freezes the validity of resolution 1737," he said according to the report.
