RUSSIA: Iran nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili meets Russia's Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin told a senior Iranian official on Tuesday (December 4) he expected Tehran to open up its atomic energy programme to the United Nations' nuclear watchdog. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili met Putin a day after a U.S. intelligence report said Tehran had put its nuclear weapons programme on hold, contradicting the Bush administration view that Iran was actively seeking a bomb. Minutes before meeting Jalili near Moscow, the Russian leader had a 40-minute telephone conversation with U.S. President George W. Bush in which they discussed Iran, a Putin aide said. At the start of their talks, Putin told Jalili that Russia was pleased to note that Iran's contacts with the International Atomic Energy Agency had become more active. "We expect that all your nuclear programmes will be transparent and under the control of this respected organisation," Putin added in opening remarks at their meeting. The United States has led the West in accusing Iran of trying to build nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian atomic programme. Iran denies any such intention. The United States, France and Britain are pushing for a third round of U.N. sanctions against Iran. Russia, which is a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, says there is no evidence that Iran has sought to develop nuclear arms and it has tried to persuade Tehran to ease concerns over its nuclear programme. Russian newspaper reports suggested Moscow would seek to persuade Jalili of the need to make concessions to countries pressing for sanctions. The talks between Putin and Jalili seemed likely to touch on the surprise report from the U.S. National Intelligence Estimate (NIE). It said Tehran halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003 and had not restarted it as of mid-2007. U.S. intelligence agencies did not know whether Iran still intended to develop nuclear weapons, the report, welcomed by Iran on Tuesday, said. The Security Council has demanded Iran suspend uranium enrichment, a process that can produce fuel for power plants or, potentially, nuclear weapons. Jalili, echoing the views of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has vowed Iran will not retreat from its nuclear plans.

ITN Source | December 5, 2007

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