MOSCOW, February 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and Iran ended talks on a Russian proposal to defuse the conflict around the Islamic Republic's nuclear programs with no specific results, and Russia's nuclear chief said Tuesday the two countries would resume them in Tehran later.
The negotiations on a proposal to open a joint venture on Russian territory to enrich uranium for nuclear power plants in Iran and thereby bar the Islamic Republic from access to the enrichment technology began in Moscow Monday. They involved Russian and Iranian diplomats and nuclear energy experts.
Sergei Kiriyenko, the head of the Federal Agency for Nuclear Power, said: "Russia is making every effort to give [Iran] an opportunity to resolve the complicated situation by peaceful and constructive means. Talks on enriching uranium on Russian territory for Iran's nuclear power [industry] will continue in Iran."
Kiriyenko is set to visit Tehran February 23, as the first round of Russian-Iranian nuclear talks in Moscow ended without any specific results.
Ali Hosseini-Tash, deputy head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said the Iranian delegation described the nuclear talks in Moscow as "positive and constructive."
"We have decided to continue discussions," he said.
Russia and Iran are discussing the Russian initiative to set up a joint uranium enrichment venture in Russia, with the possible participation of other countries, in particular China. The stand of the Iranian delegation will decide the future of Iran's "nuclear file", which a trio of European nations involved in talks with Tehran - France, the United Kingdom and Germany - the board of governors of the UN's nuclear watchdog, and the U.S. want to refer to the UN Security Council. The body has the power to impose sanctions, if Tehran is found to be in breach of its international commitments.
The mooted deal 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.
Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the State Duma (parliament's lower chamber) international affairs committee, said Iran was failing to demonstrate good will in the resolution of the nuclear conflict.
"It is still early to assess the talks," he said. "We should wait for their completion."
"Obviously, the Moscow talks are the only channel of cooperation with the Iranian leadership on the nuclear file and if this channel is closed, there will only be the language of reciprocal demands, reciprocal ultimatums and, possibly, reciprocal threats, which will not obviously lead to a constructive resolution of this situation," Kosachev said.
He said the situation could develop according to the North Korean scenario with Iran renouncing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and stopping cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog.
"I believe the international community can only lose, so it should use the chance while it is still there," he added. "That is what Russia is doing now."
Manouchehr Mottaki, the Islamic Republic's foreign minister, said Tuesday Iran might need talks on its nuclear programs with the European Union to build on its dialogue with Russia.
"If new official talks with the Europeans are required, Tehran will treat them as an addition to the dialogue with Russia," Mottaki said. He said his country was glad to take any opportunity to exchange opinions on the nuclear dispute with different countries.
"Iran welcomes discussions [on the issue] with some EU members in the form of a dialog," Mottaki said, without specifying whether talks between Iran and the European trio (Britain, France, and Germany), the Islamic Republic's former negotiators, would resume.
The Iranian foreign minister said Russia must specify a timeframe and location in its proposals to enrich Iran's uranium on its territory through a Russian-Iranian joint venture. Mottaki said Iran was ready to find a compromise through considering new ideas. "We are ready to solve the problem by peaceful, diplomatic means within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency," he said.
The diplomat said it would be better to reach a compromise before March 6, when the IAEA would report on the Islamic Republic to the UN Security Council, which has the right to impose sanctions against Iran.
"No matter what the compromise may be, research and development [under the Iranian nuclear program] will continue in Iran until the country reaches industrial levels of uranium enrichment, and this will be achieved in the end," Mottaki said.
Ali Hosseini-Tash said Tehran saw no links between Russia's uranium enrichment proposals and its nuclear research moratorium, which it unilaterally lifted in January. "We see no technical links between these two issues," he said.
He said both issues had been discussed during the February 20-21 nuclear talks in Moscow.
Speaking about the pressure on Iran from the West, the official said this had more to do with the moratorium.
Ali Hosseini-Tash said the Russian side had supported Iran's right for the peaceful use of nuclear power, adding that the talks would soon be resumed.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that he hoped the results of the talks would make it possible to keep the situation within the remit of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
He said Iran should resume its moratorium on uranium enrichment and continue talks with all sides to reach mutually acceptable agreements.
Lavrov said the upcoming IAEA session on March 6 in Vienna would take into account Iran's progress on meeting the organization's requirements and issues related to the country's nuclear-related activities.
"Russia believes that the [IAEA] report will reflect Iran's performance in meeting IAEA requirements, and [Iran's] progress on the issues related to its past nuclear activities that have not been cleared up yet," Lavrov said.
