VIENNA, September 9 (RIA Novosti) - Russia moved on Wednesday to support the UN nuclear watchdog amid accusations it had concealed information on Iran's controversial nuclear program, saying it trusts the organization completely.
The U.S., Israel and four other governments have accused the International Atomic Energy Agency's chief of withholding in his latest report intelligence that Iran is running a covert military nuclear program in tandem with its civilian projects and is moving closer to making a bomb.
Grigory Berdennikov, a member of the IAEA's Board of Governors, said Russia has listened to the organization's recommendations on ways to address Iran's nuclear ambitions, and its reports on the country's nuclear activities were important for "rebuilding trust in Iran's efforts to develop its nuclear power sector."
Berdennikov dismissed reports that the watchdog had concealed facts about Iran, but expressed concerns about its failure for more than a year to get Tehran to hold talks over international worries surrounding its nuclear research.
Iran, the world's fifth-largest oil producer, insists its nuclear program is about electricity generation and has repeatedly rejected demands to halt uranium enrichment, used both for civilian and military purposes.
Berdennikov urged the countries that had provided Mohamed ElBaradei with intelligence data on Iran to work out "new arrangements" so that the organization can request clarification from Tehran.
He also urged the Islamic Republic to fulfill UN Security Council and IAEA demands for more transparency. He reiterated that there was no alternative to diplomatic means of addressing the problem.
U.S. President Barack Obama has set late September as a deadline for Tehran to respond to the six international negotiators' proposal to halt nuclear activities in exchange for trade incentives. France and Germany said they would seek harsher sanctions for the Islamic Republic if it turned down the offer.
Iran presented proposals to the six world powers on Wednesday for talks on "global issues." The details of the proposals have not been made available.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday he was prepared to discuss international issues with Obama, but ruled out negotiations on the disputed nuclear program, saying the discussion was "finished," that he would not debate Tehran's legitimate rights.
Russia and China, two veto-wielding Security Council members with business interests in Iran, have been opposed to a new set of sanctions.
