Iran Nuclear Issue

Russia's proposals on Iran gut Euro text

(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-11-08 14:59

The European draft, supported in general by Washington, also bans travel and freezes assets of people and entities involved in the nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Russia's amendments delete the travel ban, the freezing of financial assets and any mention of the Bushehr nuclear power plant Moscow is building for Iran. Churkin maintains Bushehr is not a threat to nuclear proliferation.

The European resolution exempts from sanctions construction but not the delivery of fuel to Bushehr, which costs about $800 million and is expected to go into operation next year.

Russia also wants any sanctions to expire in three months, unless the council adopts another resolution to extend them.

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, who has submitted some of his own proposals, accused Russia of backing away from earlier commitments by its foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, in framing the international response to Iran's nuclear program.

Bolton said changes sought by Moscow conflicted with commitments by Lavrov earlier in the year.

"We don't think the Russian text is consistent with what foreign ministers had agreed previously," Bolton told reporters.

Churkin said Moscow's proposals were "fully in conformity with the understandings by the ministers."

At meetings in Europe in recent months, foreign ministers from the Security Council's permanent members - Britain, France, Russia, China and the United States - plus Germany agreed to take action against Tehran.

Washington has insisted the foreign ministers agreed to impose tough sanctions on Tehran.