MOSCOW, February 1 (RIA Novosti) - IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei's proposal to declare a timeout in talks on the Iranian nuclear dossier "deserves serious attention," the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
"We believe that the timeout initiative put forward by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency on the sidelines of the Davos Economic Forum, which envisions that Iran suspend its uranium enrichment and the UN Security Council suspend sanctions imposed against the Islamic Republic by Resolution 1737, deserves serious attention," the ministry said on its Web site.
The ministry said the proposal could serve as a basis for "finding a political solution to the situation surrounding the Iranian nuclear problem."
Iran broke the UN moratorium on nuclear research last January, arousing concerns in the West that the Islamic Republic might be after bomb-grade materials.
The Iran Six, which includes five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, have demanded that Iran end its uranium enrichment activities, although Tehran has consistently denied the allegation that its nuclear program has a military goal.
In response to Iran's unwillingness to give up its nuclear ambitions, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1737 last December, which provided for sanctions against Iran banning activities involving uranium enrichment, chemical reprocessing, heavy water-based projects, and the production of nuclear weapons delivery systems.
Tehran responded to the resolution by saying it would review its cooperation with the IAEA and on January 23 barred 38 IAEA experts from inspecting Iran's nuclear facilities. The IAEA is expected to file a new report on Iran's nuclear program February 23.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the situation surrounding Iran's nuclear program remained complicated, but that a solution could be found "if Iran assumed a constructive approach and created conditions to launch the talks on the issue."
"We are convinced that the only solution to the Iranian nuclear problem is a negotiation process," the ministry said. "And we will continue our efforts in this direction while maintaining contacts with our Iranian colleagues and our partners in the Iran Six."
