China to continue diplomacy over Iran

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122188§ionid=351020404


Amid US-led efforts for fresh sanctions against Tehran, China said Thursday that it would continue to work towards a "peaceful resolution" of the Iranian nuclear case.

"On the Iranian nuclear issue, China will continue to endeavor toward a peaceful resolution," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.

"We have always and will continue to push for a peaceful settlement of this issue," Qin said, adding that the standoff should be resolved by "diplomatic means".

Qin's remarks come as US ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said Wednesday that "China has agreed to sit down and begin serious negotiations" over imposing fresh sanctions against Iran.

The US, which accuses Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, has been lobbying for more UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions against Tehran.

US-led calls have, however, received a chilly reception mainly from China, one of the five veto-wielding members of the UNSC, which insists that diplomacy can still work to solve the Iranian nuclear issue.

Iran says any punitive measures against the country are legally baseless as Tehran's peaceful nuclear energy program is being fully monitored by UN nuclear watchdog, IAEA.

This comes as Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili is now in China to discuss with Chinese officials a range of issues, with Tehran's nuclear work high on the agenda.

Russia agrees to supply Mi-24 helicopters to Lebanon

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=119618§ionid=351020203


Russian authorities have agreed to supply 10 Mi-24 advanced military helicopters to Lebanon instead of 10 MiG-29 fighter jets they had previously pledged to provide.

According to a report published by al-Nahar news website, the decision was taken after Lebanese President Michel Sleiman asked to receive the state of the art military choppers and the advanced missiles they carry in place of the Russian-made warplanes.

President Michel Sleiman returned Friday afternoon to Beirut concluding a 2-day official visit to Moscow, the first ever visit by a Lebanese head of state to Russia.

On Thursday, Sleiman met with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev and the two signed a memorandum on military cooperation.

The Russian move is seen as a slap to the United States over its longstanding military relationship with Lebanon. American officials had occasionally intervened in the past when other countries offered to supply weapons.

Lebanon's air force consists of only a few 1950s-era jets and a small number of Vietnam War-era helicopters. The MiG-29, often compared to the American F-16 fighter, is vastly more powerful than anything Washington was considering providing to Lebanon. The most recent Pentagon offer, in terms of air power, is a Cessna Caravan, a single-engine prop plane.