No military solution to Iranian N-problem: Russia

Moscow, May 4: Rejecting military solution to the Iranian nuclear problem, Russia has reiterated that the issue should be resolved through diplomatic means, no matter how difficult it might be.

''We are sure that there is no military solution to this problem.

We should keep searching for a political and diplomatic solution to this problem no matter how hard and difficult it could be,'' Itar-Tass news agency quoted Russia's new permanent ambassador Vitaly Churkin as saying at the UN yesterday, while confirming his country's stance on the Iranian nuclear programme, after consultations in the Security Council.

France and Britain together with Germany have submitted a draft resolution calling on Iran to suspend its nuclear enrichment activities and abandon the construction of a heavy-water nuclear reactor at Arak.

The draft expressed serious concerns that Iran was not complying with the IAEA demands on its nuclear programme. It also said if Iran refused to resume a moratorium, the Security Council would consider other measures necessary to enforce the resolution.

Mr Churkin also urged the Security Council to avoid threatening the use of force against Iran to resolve the international stand off over its nuclear programme.

He added that the Security Council's members today agreed to continue work on the resolution and some provisions would be corrected.

The IAEA head Mohammed ElBaradei reported to the Security Council last week that Iran had failed to meet its April 28 deadline to halt all uranium enrichment activities.

Mr ElBaradei's report deepened a rift between the Security Council's five permanent members. While the US, France and Britain were pressing for a new militarily enforceable resolution to make Iran abandon its nuclear programme, Russia and China insisted the issue be resolved within IAEA diplomatically.

UNI