Iran discusses package of nuclear proposals with Russia
Posted on Mon, Apr. 28, 2008Digg del.icio.us AIM print email
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI
Associated Press Writer
Hasan Sarbakhshian / AP Photo
Iranian atomic energy chief Gholamreza Aghazadeh, right, shakes hands with acting Russian Security Council Secretary Valentin Sobolev, during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, Monday April, 28, 2008. Iran and Russia on Monday discussed the outlines of "serious proposals" aimed at assuring the international community that Tehran's nuclear program is peaceful, state media reported.
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran and Russia on Monday discussed the outlines of "serious proposals" aimed at assuring the international community that Tehran's nuclear program is peaceful, state media reported.
Top Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili did not provide details of the proposals but said Tehran will soon unveil them publicly.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has serious proposals about what to do to reduce threats resulting from the nuclear issue to the minimum," Jalili was quoted as saying by Iran's official news agency IRNA.
Later Monday, Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, called the package "a comprehensive plan" addressed to the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany.
"Iran's package of proposals is not addressed to one specific country. It is a comprehensive plan with broad proposals. The spirit of the plan is that Iran is prepared to cooperate with all its capacity to resolve the remaining issues," Aghazadeh told a news conference.
Aghazadeh said the package was discussed Monday with acting Russian Security Council Secretary Valentin Sobolev during his visit to Iran, but was addressed to the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.
Those countries have pledged to enhance a 2006 package of political, security and economic incentives in return for Iran halting uranium enrichment. Iran has said it would not trade its rights for incentives.
Russia has been a key ally to Iran in its nuclear standoff with the West, but also has voted in favor of three rounds of U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran for its failure to halt uranium enrichment.
Iran has denied pursuing nuclear weapons, saying its program is geared toward generating electricity.
Also Monday, the deputy chief of the U.N. nuclear monitoring agency arrived in Tehran to discuss Iran's controversial nuclear program.
His second visit in two weeks comes only days after the International Atomic Energy Agency said it had reached a "milestone" agreement with Iran that aims to provide answers to allegations that Tehran has tried to develop nuclear weapons.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said Sunday that Iran was willing to discuss any issue with the U.N. nuclear watchdog but maintained the country had already answered all outstanding questions about its nuclear program.
AI
