Russian-US talks in Moscow focus on situation in Iran

The Russian-US talks in Moscow focused on the situation in Iran and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov told a briefing in Moscow.

According to him, US Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed US concerns over the situation in Iran. Moscow has been discussing this issue with various US administrations for ten years already, Mamedov said.

Russia is concerned about the situation in Iran "even more than the USA", as Iran is located in the region bordering on Russia, Mamedov noted. According to Mamedov, only IAEA international inspectors can say for sure if Iran violates commitment to the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or not.

Moscow attracted the US attention to the fact that "some Western companies are helping implement nuclear programmes in Iran". However, Mamedov did not name these companies. "Serious consultations on this issue are in progress and we'd better abstain from mutual accusations," Mamedov concluded adding that Moscow entirely fulfilled its obligations to the international community on the non-proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies.