MOSCOW, Oct. 15 - Russia's leaders told Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice on Saturday that they did not support sending
the issue of Iran's nuclear program to the United Nations
Security Council, and they reaffirmed their view that Iran had
the legal right to enrich uranium.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/16/international/europe/16rice.html
October 16, 2005
Rice Fails to Persuade Russia to Support U.N. Action on Iran
By JOEL BRINKLEY
MOSCOW, Oct. 15 - Russia's leaders told Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice on Saturday that they did not support sending
the issue of Iran's nuclear program to the United Nations
Security Council, and they reaffirmed their view that Iran had
the legal right to enrich uranium.
The statements, by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and others,
were a sharp setback for Ms. Rice's efforts to reach a
consensus on Iran's nuclear program. The Iranians "have this
right" to enrich uranium under the Nuclear Nonproliferation
Treaty, Mr. Lavrov said at joint news conference with Ms.
Rice, who flew here on short notice for consultations on Iran
and other issues before heading to London.
Ms. Rice spent two hours with Mr. Lavrov and another hour with
President Vladimir V. Putin on Saturday morning but failed to
budge them from their view, which is at odds with Washington's
position.
Still, Ms. Rice, speaking to reporters later, made it clear
that the United States and its European allies would still
refer Iran to the Security Council, for admonishment or
sanctions, if it did not shut down its nuclear fuel
reprocessing program. But with Russia opposed, the prospects
in the Council look bleak, as Russia holds a veto. "We do not
agree that this matter should be sent to the Security
Council," said Sergei Kislyak, the deputy foreign minister.
Iran says it needs to process nuclear fuel for civilian
nuclear-power stations. But Washington and its European allies
argue that Iran wants the fuel for nuclear weapons.
The board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, an arm of
the United Nations, voted last month to refer the issue of
Iran's nuclear program to the Security Council. Russia and 11
other nations abstained. But the board must vote again during
a meeting that begins Nov. 24 to make the actual referral.
Both Mr. Lavrov and Ms. Rice said they were hoping Iran would
make concessions before then, making a referral unnecessary.
Ms. Rice said for the first time on Saturday that Washington
might not push for a vote on a referral during the November
meeting, suggesting that the United States may not have the
votes it needs to win a second vote on the agency's board.
Some members of the board who voted in favor of last month's
resolution are rotating off the board. Among those rotating on
in their place are Belarus, Cuba and Syria , three nations
that are unlikely to support the American position.
Officials said the vote could also be postponed if Iran
appeared to be moving toward compliance with the board's
demands.
"There will be a referral," Ms. Rice said, but "we're going to
keep the referral option alive at a time of our choosing."
Ms. Rice contended that the Russians had not rebuffed her
because "they did say that the Iranians do not currently have
the confidence of the international community." She also noted
that the Russians had previously proposed to provide Iran with
fuel for a civilian nuclear reactor and then to take back the
spent materials. That, she said, demonstrates that Russia,
too, has concerns about the Iranian program.
When asked about Mr. Lavrov's unambiguous statements of
opposition to the United States and European position, she
repeatedly referred back to those two points and would not
acknowledge the disagreement. As she explained it, "the
Russians prefer to have negotiations proceed in this period of
time."
Mr. Kislyak agreed, to a point, saying "one has to work with
Iran to find a solution." But he and Mr. Lavrov strongly
suggested that negotiating with Iran within the atomic energy
agency was about as far as Russia was willing to go.
Responding to a question about referring Iran to the Council,
Mr. Lavrov said, "We think that the current situation commits
us to develop this issue and to do everything possible within
the means of" the atomic energy agency "without referring this
issue to other organizations."
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
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