No subject

cleared at Berlin lacked any cutting edge. It contained the following
elements:

# Travel ban on Iranians "engaged in, directly associated with or
providing support for Iran's proliferation of sensitive nuclear
activities or for the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems".
# Stipulation that the assets freeze detailed in the previous
resolution will now include specified persons and entities.
# Advisory that all countries should "exercise vigilance" over
activities of their financial institutions with Iranian banks,
especially Bank Melli and Bank Saderat.

But Washington is intent on playing the "sanction card" and Western
powers ultimately will go along with American wishes. China remains
equivocal. Beijing "calls on all parties to step up diplomatic efforts
to be creative and seek new approaches to break the deadlock; and
achieve a comprehensive solution to the Iran question", to quote the
foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing. Now, after Friday's deal in
Washington, where does Russia stand?

That is why Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak's statement
posted on the Foreign Ministry website in Moscow on Tuesday becomes
intriguing. He says Russia calls on Iran to freeze uranium enrichment
until "complicated points have been worked out" by the IAEA. There is
a subtle shift in emphasis here. So far, Moscow's accent was on the
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei's report to the Security Council in the
third week of February.

The general expectation so far has been that ElBaradei would clarify
the outstanding questions about Iran's past nuclear activities.
ElBaradei said in an interview with the Kuwait-based daily al-Rai,
"Iran has made some breakthrough in [resolving] its nuclear program".
But Kislyak says: "I believe this [Iran freezing enrichment] is
entirely achievable if the appropriate political decisions are taken.
International concerns can be easily allayed [by Tehran] to create
more favorable conditions for Iran's extensive cooperation with other
countries".

He also plays down Iran's cooperation with the IAEA by saying,
"Frankly speaking, our Iranian colleagues could have started this work
long ago and not wasted so many years on confrontation, first with the
IAEA board of governors, and then with the UN Security Council."

Kislyak warns that the new sanctions resolution "contains serious
signals for Iran and envisions decisions to expand sanctions earlier
adopted by the Security Council". A leading Russian commentator
promptly added his voice to Kislayk's by warning the new resolution
"may prove to be quite serious" and that Moscow "did not notice [this]
at first glance".

Significantly, he adds, "The adoption of the new resolution was
continuously delayed because of Russia and China. During this time,
[Iranian President Mahmud] Ahmadinejad's team travelled a long way in
toughening its stance. As a result, international experts, including
Iranian, are in agreement that the Iranian nuclear program had
approached a point beyond which it would inevitably result in the
development of nuclear weapons. Against this backdrop, mild sanctions
in the Security Council were almost encouraging Iran to go ahead."