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Iranian issue could still be resolved by diplomacy - official

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MOSCOW, February 8 (RIA Novosti, Sergei Zelentsov) - Diplomats and the UN's nuclear watchdog still have time to find a solution to the crisis around Iran's controversial nuclear research programs, a senior Russian official said Wednesday.

"The time limit for finding a diplomatic resolution of the problem has not expired yet," Vladimir Nazarov, a deputy secretary of Russia's Security Council, said at a round table on the situation around Iran.

He said that Iran had so far not violated any international commitments in line with the standard requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency and provisions of the Nonproliferation Treaty and there was no point in forcing the country to conduct nuclear activities without the international community's supervision.

"As long as Iran remains within the legal field, we should not push it out of there," Nazarov said. "All the calls for harsh measures [against Iran] only exacerbate the situation. Everyone has to realize that the price of the issue is very high."

Nazarov's comments came in the wake of statements from the U.S. administration that suggested military action to end Iran's nuclear ambitions had not been ruled out. Both President George Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Iran must be prevented from developing a nuclear weapon.

"All options, including the military one, are on the table," Rumsfeld said in an interview with a German newspaper Monday.

The U.S. State Department's senior official on nuclear issues also made a strong statement Monday about Iran's intentions to develop a nuclear program for military purposes.

"I would say that Iran does have the capability to develop nuclear weapons and the delivery means for those weapons," Undersecretary Robert Joseph said.

Nazarov said, though, that the IAEA had not exhausted its potential to resolve the Iranian problem and its experts had enough information about Iran's nuclear programs to help find a balanced and accurate solution.

However, the Russian security expert said Iran had to understand that it would not be able to play on antagonisms and split the members of the UN Security Council because the international community stood unanimously against the possible development of military nuclear programs in the country.

Nazarov also reiterated that a Russian proposal to Iran to establish a joint venture for uranium enrichment on Russian territory remained on the negotiating table.

"It is a viable option for resolving the crisis," the expert said. "But it should not become a cover for actions that violate the provisions of the additional protocol to the NPT."

The Russian offer had been seen as a compromise in the standoff between the Islamic Republic and the West over its nuclear programs after Tehran caused widespread international concern with a recent announcement that it had abandoned a two-year moratorium on uranium enrichment research.

The 35-nation IAEA board of governors adopted a resolution February 4 to inform the UN Security Council on the Iran nuclear issue. The resolution urges Iran to resume its moratorium on nuclear fuel research, to ratify an additional protocol to its agreement with the IAEA, and to allow the agency to clarify all aspects of its past nuclear activities.

Before a Tuesday meeting of the UN Security Council, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei sent a formal letter to John Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and the current Security Council president, notifying him about IAEA work in Iran and the country's nuclear research. The U.S. has been pushing to have Iran's "nuclear file" referred to the Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions if Tehran is found to have been in breach of its international commitments.

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