Russia downplays Iran nuclear ‘pact’

MOSCOW – Russia yesterday downplayed progress on its plan to allay concern over Iran’s nuclear programme, saying there was still work to be done and warning that time was quickly running out ahead of a March 6 deadline.

“This is a complex issue and the negotiations are difficult,” Russia’s chief nuclear negotiator with Iran, Sergei Kiriyenko, told the official ITAR-TASS news agency in an interview on his return to Moscow following weekend talks in Tehran. “There is little time left for further agreements,” the agency quoted Kiriyenko as saying, though he also voiced optimism that a comprehensive agreement could be reached in the days ahead of the next International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting on Iran on March 6.”A few issues still need to be agreed upon,” said Kiriyenko, who is head of the Russian atomic energy agency Rosatom.ITAR-TASS quoted an unnamed source within the Russian delegation sent to Iran over the weekend as saying the result of the talks there amounted to “a small half-step forward.”At a joint news conference on Sunday with Kiriyenko in the Iranian city of Bushehr, site of Iran’s first nuclear power station which is being built by Russia, Tehran’s chief nuclear negotiator said the two sides “have reached an agreement in principle” on the Russian compromise plan.Under that scheme, Russia and Iran would establish a joint venture for enriching uranium on Russian soil for use in Iran’s civilian nuclear stations – Nampa-AFP”There is little time left for further agreements,” the agency quoted Kiriyenko as saying, though he also voiced optimism that a comprehensive agreement could be reached in the days ahead of the next International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting on Iran on March 6.”A few issues still need to be agreed upon,” said Kiriyenko, who is head of the Russian atomic energy agency Rosatom.ITAR-TASS quoted an unnamed source within the Russian delegation sent to Iran over the weekend as saying the result of the talks there amounted to “a small half-step forward.”At a joint news conference on Sunday with Kiriyenko in the Iranian city of Bushehr, site of Iran’s first nuclear power station which is being built by Russia, Tehran’s chief nuclear negotiator said the two sides “have reached an agreement in principle” on the Russian compromise plan.Under that scheme, Russia and Iran would establish a joint venture for enriching uranium on Russian soil for use in Iran’s civilian nuclear stations – Nampa-AFP