MOSCOW, February 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russian-Iranian talks on a uranium enrichment proposal will continue in Tehran, Russia's nuclear chief said Tuesday.
Sergei Kiriyenko, the head of the Federal Agency for Nuclear Power, said: "Russia is making every effort to give [Iran] an opportunity to resolve the complicated situation by peaceful and constructive means. Talks on enriching uranium on Russian territory for Iran's nuclear power [industry] will continue in Iran."
Kiriyenko is set to visit Tehran February 23, as the first round of Russian-Iranian nuclear talks in Moscow ended without any specific results.
Ali Hosseini-Tash, deputy head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said the Iranian delegation described the nuclear talks in Moscow as "positive and constructive."
"We have decided to continue discussions," he said.
Russia and Iran are discussing the Russian initiative to set up a joint uranium enrichment venture in Russia, with the possible participation of other countries, in particular China. The stand of the Iranian delegation will decide the future of Iran's "nuclear file", which a trio of European nations involved in talks with Tehran - France, the United Kingdom and Germany - the board of governors of the UN's nuclear watchdog, and the U.S. want to refer to the UN Security Council. The body has the power to impose sanctions, if Tehran is found to be in breach of its international commitments.
The mooted deal is seen as a potential compromise in the crisis around the nuclear programs of the Islamic Republic, which some countries suspect of pursuing a covert weapons program. Although Tehran has consistently said it only wants nuclear power for peaceful purposes, the United States and other nations have concerns, as enriched uranium is a vital component for an atomic bomb.
Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the State Duma (parliament's lower chamber) international affairs committee, said Iran was failing to demonstrate good will in the resolution of the nuclear conflict.
"It is still early to assess the talks," he said. "We should wait for their completion."
"Obviously, the Moscow talks are the only channel of cooperation with the Iranian leadership on the nuclear file and if this channel is closed, there will only be the language of reciprocal demands, reciprocal ultimatums and, possibly, reciprocal threats, which will not obviously lead to a constructive resolution of this situation," Kosachev said.
He said the situation could develop according to the North Korean scenario with Iran renouncing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and stopping cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"I believe the international community can only lose, so it should use the chance while it is still there," he added. "That is what Russia is doing now."
