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Talks on Iran draft resolution could be held next week - Russia

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Russia's foreign minister said Friday the six mediating countries in the nuclear dispute with Iran could meet early next week to discuss a new draft UN resolution on sanctions against Tehran.
AMMAN, December 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's foreign minister said Friday the six mediating countries in the nuclear dispute with Iran could meet early next week to discuss a new draft UN resolution on sanctions against Tehran.

The original proposals for sanctions on Iran's nuclear program drawn up by Britain, France, and Germany met with resistance from Russia, which has taken a softer line on sanctions against Iran. Diplomats said earlier that the new European proposals for sanctions aim to take into account Russian objections.

Sergei Lavrov said, "My colleagues [U.S. State Secretary] Condoleezza Rice, [British Foreign Secretary] Margaret Beckett and our German counterpart [Frank-Walter Steinmeier] gave their consent to the meeting today. We expect the meeting to take place early next week."

Although Russia and China, veto-holding Security Council members and key economic partners of Iran, have been reluctant to resort to sanctions, Lavrov admitted earlier that Moscow could approve sanctions if the Islamic Republic refused to take a less defiant stance.

He reiterated Friday that Russia may support some sanctions to prevent Iran from obtaining sensitive technologies and nuclear materials.

"Russia is opposed to any violations by Iran of IAEA decisions," Sergei Lavrov said, adding that the purpose of referring Iran's nuclear dossier to the Security Council was to compel Tehran to meet demands made by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog.

Iran has dismissed international suspicions of its plans to build nuclear weapons, citing its right to pursue nuclear energy for civilian purposes under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

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