‘Sanction talks shouldn’t hamper Iran-Turkey swap deal’

May 20th, 2010 - 10:30 pm ICT by IANS  

Rome, May 20 (IANS/RIA Novosti) UN Security Council talks on new sanctions against Iran should not hamper implementation of the uranium swap deal signed between Iran, Brazil and Turkey, said Russia Thursday.
“We are in favour of Iran filing a request to the International Atomic Energy Agency as soon as possible… This should not be hampered by discussions in the UN Security Council,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

“We will treat the position which other UN Security Council members take in discussions over a new resolution (on sanctions against Iran) with the utmost respect,” Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini here.

A discussion began April 19 on the text of a draft resolution to impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic, which is accused by Western powers of attempting to build nuclear weapons under the guise of peaceful energy generation programme.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week that the US, Russia and China had reached an agreement over the resolution.

Moscow and Beijing have long opposed US-backed sanctions against the Islamic Republic over its controversial nuclear activities, insisting that the issue should be resolved by diplomatic means.

Clinton’s announcement came Tuesday, a day after the Iranian, Brazilian, and Turkish foreign ministers signed an agreement on the exchange of low-enriched uranium to fuel Tehran’s scientific research reactor.

–IANS/RIA Novosti

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