'Iran could review IAEA ties over UN draft'

Moscow, Nov 10: Iran will review ties with the International Atomic Energy Agency if the UN Security Council rejects Russian changes to the European draft resolution on sanctions, Iran's nuclear negotiator said today.

The European draft UN Security Council resolution, drawn up by Britain, France and Germany, demands nations prevent the sale and supply of equipment, technology and financing contributing to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Russia has proposed major deletions to the draft, including eliminating an assets freeze and a travel ban.

''We will review our relations with the IAEA if the UN accepts the Euro-troika resolution without taking into account the amendments made by Russia,'' Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

Larijani was speaking shortly after arriving in Moscow for talks on the issue with Russian security and foreign ministry officials.

Russia, which has so far backed Iran in its stand-off with the West over suspicions that Tehran was trying to obtain nuclear weapons, has grown increasingly impatient with Iran's refusal to open all its facilities to IAEA inspectors.

Tehran says its nuclear programme is purely civilian.

''As Mr Larijani is visiting Moscow, we are hoping it will produce results which will break this deadlock we have in our relations with Iran,'' Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said yesterday.

REUTERS

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