Russia urges Iran to cooperate with IAEA

Moscow, May 13 (UNI) Russia has called on Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), taking appropriate confidence-building measures at an earliest possible notice.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak, who received Iranian ambassador Gholamreza Ansari ''at his request'' called on Iran to take ''appropriate confidence-building measures for the earliest possible clarification of questions about the nuclear programme of the Islamic Republic of Iran that the agency still has,'' the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

During the talks with Ansari, Mr Kislyak stressed ''the importance of constructive interaction'' between Tehran and the IAEA, the statement said.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told RIA Novosti news agency in an interview in Bali at the sidelines of D-8 group of developing countries meet yesterday that Iran was ready to resume negotiations with Russia on its nuclear programme.

''We are ready to continue negotiations with our Russian friends on their proposals,'' Mottaki said, adding ''in principle Iran supports any initiatives that contain two key elements,''.

''First, they should recognize Iran's right to peaceful development of nuclear technology. Second, we consider it necessary to strengthen the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty,'' he said.

Moscow has offered Tehran to set up a joint venture on Russian soil to enrich Uranium for Iranian power plants, but the sides have not reached any final decision after several rounds of talks.

UNI XC DKS RN1608