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Hopes slim as Russia, Iran nuclear talks resume

Posted on: Tuesday, 21 February 2006, 02:52 CST

By Christian Lowe

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian and Iranian nuclear negotiators began a second day of talks on Tuesday but skepticism mounted that they could strike a deal to ease international concerns that Tehran wants a nuclear bomb.

The two sides are discussing a Russian offer to enrich uranium for Iranian power plants on its own soil -- seen by some as the last chance to defuse the row over Tehran's nuclear ambitions before Western governments seek U.N. sanctions.

Day one of the talks on Monday ended with no word on their outcome and only an agreement to reconvene the next day.

Interfax news agency said Tuesday's talks were talking place in the foreign ministry building -- a shift of venue from Monday's meeting in the Kremlin.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki had already poured cold water on the talks on Monday when he said in Brussels his country would press ahead with its nuclear work even if it accepted the Russian proposal.

The United States and the EU trio of Britain, France and Germany -- the countries pressing Iran hardest on its nuclear plans -- are looking ahead to March 6 when the U.N. nuclear watchdog is to report on Iran to the U.N. Security Council.

Washington wants sanctions against Iran, though veto-wielding members of the Security Council like Russia and China are cool on the idea.

"The Iranians will try to throw sand in everybody's eyes, as they have for the last three years," the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said of the Moscow talks.

Many Russian commentators were convinced Iran's decision to take part in the talks was an exercise to buy time.

"Their aim is to haggle, to put off as long as possible the hour when sanctions from the international community become unavoidable," wrote the daily Izvestia.

Iran says it needs atomic power for electricity, not bombs. It says Western powers are infringing its sovereign right to develop a civilian atomic energy program.

The thinking behind Moscow's proposal is that if Russia processed uranium for Iran it could ensure the fuel was enriched only to the level suitable for power stations, and not to the higher grade needed for a nuclear bomb.

Even Russia says it has only modest expectations of the talks.

Monday's negotiations were between senior officials from the security councils of the two countries.

It was unclear who exactly was attending Tuesday's talks and whether they had been downgraded. Russian news agencies reported that experts from Russian nuclear agency Rosatom had been invited.

Source: REUTERS

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