MOSCOW, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A Russian legislator argued Friday that negotiations are more likely to be effective than sanctions in ending the Iran nuclear crisis.
Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the committee for international relations in the upper house of parliament, released a statement about the issue, the Novosti news agency reported.
"Practice shows that Mideast regimes are resilient to sanctions. So the sense in enforcing them is debatable," he said.
He said that because so many people in countries like Iraq are already living in extreme poverty sanctions are likely to have limited effect. Countries also get a boost from corruption as Iraq did from the U.N. oil for food program by requiring kickbacks.
A Security Council resolution authorized economic and diplomatic sanctions if Iran fails to halt uranium enrichment. But both Russia and China, among the five permanent members of the council, oppose sanctions.
