MOSCOW, February 20 (RIA Novosti) - No agreement was reached at the first round of Russian-Iranian nuclear talks that were concluded in the Kremlin Monday.
"Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov received the [Iranian] delegation. Talks on the Iranian [nuclear] issue will continue," the council's press service said.
The talks focused on Russia's proposal to set up a joint venture for uranium enrichment on Russian territory.
The countries' delegations were headed by Russian Deputy Security Council Secretary Valentin Sobolev, and Deputy Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council Seyyed-Ali Hosseini-Tash.
The mooted deal between Iran and Russia, which is currently building an $800-million plant near the port city of Bushehr in the south of the country, is seen as a potential compromise in the crisis around the nuclear programs of the Islamic Republic, which some countries suspect of pursuing a covert weapons program. Although Tehran has consistently said it only wants nuclear power for peaceful purposes, the United States and other nations have concerns, as enriched uranium is a vital component for an atomic bomb.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he was hopeful that the talks in Moscow would help keep the issue within the remit of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"It is premature to talk of any results yet. The talks are ongoing. We hope their results will create prerequisites for keeping the situation within the IAEA framework," Lavrov said.
The minister said that for this to happen, Iran would have to re-impose its moratorium on uranium enrichment activities and resume contact with all sides concerned, with a view to reaching mutually acceptable agreements.
