"I can say unambiguously that all the agreements from
yesterday's meetings rule out, in any circumstances, the use
of military force," the Russian foreign minister, Sergei
Lavrov, was quoted as saying by Moscow's RIA news agency.
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Original source URL:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,1788821,00.html
Iran proposal 'excludes use of force'
Mark Tran and agencies
Friday June 2, 2006
Guardian Unlimited
Russia today said a plan to break the international impasse over Iran's nuclear
programme excluded the use of military force "in any circumstances".
"I can say unambiguously that all the agreements from yesterday's meetings rule
out, in any circumstances, the use of military force," the Russian foreign
minister, Sergei Lavrov, was quoted as saying by Moscow's RIA news agency.
Mr Lavrov's comments followed yesterday's agreement on a package of proposals to
be presented to Tehran.
He said no deadline had been set for Iran to reply to the proposals, which were
agreed to by foreign ministers from the five permanent members of the UN
security council and Germany at talks in Vienna.
Details of the package have not yet been made public, meaning the Russian take
on it cannot be verified.
A British Foreign Office official said he was "perplexed" by Mr Lavrov's
comments, which are likely to annoy Washington. The Bush administration has
resisted offering assurances that Iran would not be the target of a military
attack.
At the moment, the diplomatic chess game has some way to go. In its next move,
the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, is expected to deliver the offer to
Tehran.
The foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, last night said Iran would be offered
the opportunity to reach agreement with the international community through
negotiation and cooperation.
However, she warned it could expect "further steps" to be taken by the UN
security council if it refused to come to the negotiating table.
"We are prepared to resume negotiations should Iran resume suspension of all
enrichment and reprocessing activities, as required by the International Atomic
Energy Agency, and we would also suspend action in the security council," she
said.
"We have also agreed that, if Iran decides not to engage in negotiation further,
steps would have to be taken in the security council.
"So there are two paths ahead. We urge Iran to take the positive path and
consider seriously our substantive proposals, which would bring significant
benefits to Iran. We will now be talking to the Iranians about our proposals."
The package set to be presented to Tehran is believed to include an offer to
help build a light-water nuclear reactor.
That is considered less of a threat than Tehran's uranium enrichment programme -
a process that can produce material for use in nuclear weapons.
If Iran rejects the offer, the US, Britain and France would return to the UN
security council to table a resolution setting a deadline for it to suspend
uranium enrichment or face sanctions.
These would include a ban on arms sales, no transfer of nuclear technology, no
visas for Iranian leaders and officials and a freeze on Iranian assets.
Iran has insisted on its "natural right" to enrich uranium for peaceful
purposes, and has rejected a Washington offer to hold talks on the condition
that it suspends enrichment.
Meanwhile, John Negroponte, the head of US intelligence, said Iran could have a
nuclear bomb within 10 years.
"We don't have a clear-cut knowledge, but the estimate we have made is [that]
some time between the beginning of the next decade and the middle of the next
decade they might be in a position to have a nuclear weapon, which is a cause of
great concern," Mr Negraponte said.
"At the moment, there's an initiative on the table with respect to Iran, and we
will have to watch the government of Iran's reaction to that. In the meanwhile,
we have to recognise that they are the principal state sponsor of terrorism in
the world."
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
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