Putin urges Iran to accept intl offer to defuse nuclear crisis

Moscow, July 4 (UNI) Russian President Vladimir Putin today urged Iran to accept the package of incentives put forward by the six nations to defuse the crisis over its nuclear programme.

''We would really like our Iranian partners to accept the proposals, which were worked out as a basis for negotiations,'' RIA Novosti quoted Mr Putin as saying at a civil G-8 forum here.

Presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said at a briefing that Iranian nuclear issue would be a key subject for discussion at the G-8 summit in St Petersburg on July 15-17, but not be a dominant issue.

''Although we cannot avoid the topic, I do not think that the Presidents and Prime Ministers will focus on Iran at the G-8 summit,'' Mr Prikhodko said.

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