Russia, China urge diplomacy on Iran nuclear case

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122215§ionid=351020104


As the US and its allies push for another round of sanctions against Iran at the United Nations Security Council, Russia and China have again voiced their dissent.

Earlier in Moscow today, Russia's foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko reaffirmed Russia's commitment to finding a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear dispute with the West, reported The Voice of Russia.

He further said that sanctions could occasionally be appropriate, but insisted that such measures should be well thought-out, intelligent and not hinder further dialogue.

Separately, in China, where Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili is on a visit, the foreign ministry's spokesman official spokesman Qin Gang said Beijing would seek a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.

He further said that while China opposed nuclear proliferation, it defended Tehran's right to develop civil nuclear energy.

Qin Gang declined to comment on claims that the US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice that Beijing is ready to discuss sanctions against Tehran.

In a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Iran's top nuclear negotiator said the West's efforts to prevent certain countries from acquiring nuclear technology could put global security in danger.

Jalili stressed that a full commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by all countries was the best way to ensure peace and stability in the world.

Certain Western governments, led by the US, have accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons capability and have imposed sanctions in an effort to force Tehran to stop its enrichment activities.

However, Iran counters that, as a longstanding signatory to the NPT, it has the right to possess full nuclear fuel cycle, insisting that the production of nuclear weapons has no place in its policy.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has carried out intrusive inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities for years, and has announced that there is no evidence of diversion of nuclear material from civilian to military applications.