New York - US support of Russia's assistance to develop and
supply the Iranian nuclear reactor at Bushehr has given Iran an
opportunity to build a civilian nuclear programme, the Russian envoy
to the UN said Tuesday.
Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said one day after the UN Security
Council voted to impose additional sanctions against Iran for
refusing to stop uranium enrichment that Tehran should understand the
'new reality' and cooperate with the international community.
The new reality is defined by the unity of response from the
United States, Russia, China, France and Britain - the council's five
permanent members, and Germany, Churkin said.
The foreign ministers of those six countries issued in London a
statement on Monday supporting the new sanctions against Iran.
Churkin said Washington had dropped its 'strong objection' to
Russian supplies of enriched uranium for the Bushehr reactor, built
with Russian assistance for civilian energy needs by Iran.
'What happened in the past is the past, now we have a different
format of negotiations,' Churkin told reporters. 'I suggest that
there is a great opportunity for Iran (in) the offers by the six
(foreign ministers), including the opportunity of overcoming its
problems with the US.'
In the past Iran negotiated with the European troika - Britain,
France and Germany - but now has to deal with all five permanent
members and Germany.
Churkin said Russia is taking part in the process and is Iran's
'good neighbour and friend.' He urged Tehran to study the statement
by the six foreign ministers, who called for renewed dialogue to
settle the nuclear dispute.
'There is also a new reality of assurances, not just in words but
in deeds,' Churkin said, referring to promises to help Iran with its
civilian nuclear energy programme.
'The US support is an indication of the good will of the
international community, something which hopefully has created a
better background for Iran to consider suspension (of its uranium
enrichment) and allow negotiations to start,' Churkin said.
The Russian diplomat said his government will continue to supply
nuclear fuel for the Bushehr reactor which, he said, should be an
incentive for Iran to stop its own uranium enrichment programme.
Western nations fear that Iran's uranium conversion could be used
to produce weapons-grade fuel, a charge rejected by Tehran. On the
other hand, those nations said Russian enriched uranium is under
safeguards of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.
Tehran on Tuesday made clear the new sanctions will not affect its
nuclear programme.
'The latest UN resolution will have no impact on Iran's will to
pursue peaceful nuclear programmes,' Tehran's Foreign
Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini.
'The resolution is contrary to International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) reports and rather politically motivated and hostile. We
condemn this resolution and consider it as anti-Iranian, valueless
and unacceptable,' the spokesman said.
Iran also rejected sanctions in 2006 and 2007, which also
demanded a halt in uranium conversion.
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