[R-G] Russia Asks That Iran Be Given More Time: No Deadline on Incentives, Envoy Says

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/06/AR2008080601085.html>
Russia Asks That Iran Be Given More Time
No Deadline on Incentives, Envoy Says

By Colum Lynch
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 7, 2008; A04

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 6 -- Russia said Wednesday that Iran should be
granted more time to respond to a package of incentives that the
United States and five other powerful nations have offered Tehran to
freeze its uranium enrichment efforts, a stance that may slow U.S. and
European efforts to impose U.N. sanctions on Tehran.

Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vitaly I. Churkin, said the six nations
should continue negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program. He
dismissed assertions by the United States, Britain and France that
Tehran had missed a deadline this week to respond to the offer, which
would make a push for U.N. sanctions inevitable.

"We haven't set any deadlines for their response," he said. "We have
some negotiating opportunities, and rather than focus almost entirely
on sanctions we should focus on what those opportunities should be."

Churkin's remarks raised the prospect of renewed strains between
Washington and Moscow over Iran policy during the final months of
President Bush's tenure. Administration officials say Iran is buying
time to advance its capacity to enrich uranium, an effort they suspect
is intended to fuel a nuclear weapon. They have made it clear they
hope to secure a fourth round of U.N. sanctions against Tehran before
Bush leaves office in January, according to U.N. diplomats.

Iran denies that it is seeking nuclear weapons, and says that the
council has no right to prevent it from developing a civilian energy
program.

The United States, France and Britain pressed ahead with efforts to
punish Tehran after a conference call Wednesday between representative
of the six nations. Britain's top Middle East expert, Kim Howells,
indicated that the allies secured agreement with Russia and China to
pursue a "dual track strategy" on Iran -- including discussion of
possible U.N. sanctions and further contacts between Iran's nuclear
negotiator, Saeed Jalili, and Javier Solana, the European Union's
foreign policy chief.

The latest standoff comes nearly two months after the five permanent
members of the Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and
the United States -- as well as Germany offered to sweeten a package
of economic, political and security incentives to Iran. Solana, the
group's representative, gave Iran until last Saturday to accept the
package or face further U.N. sanctions.

Iran said in a letter to Solana Tuesday that it is ready to respond to
the offer as long as the six big powers "simultaneously" provide
Tehran with a more detailed explanation of the incentives.

The United States, France and Britain accused Iran of stonewalling,
and said they would begin talks on a new U.N. sanctions resolution.
Churkin, the Russian representative, conceded that "we would have
preferred a more straightforward and positive answer from our Iranian
colleagues."

"The letter that we received yesterday appears to be a stalling
tactic," State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said. He said the
big powers are "beginning to consider the possible outlines of another
resolution."

Council diplomats and analysts said Russia's initiative would lend
support to what they think is an Iranian effort to buy time. "The
Iranians seems determine to run out the clock," said Justin Logan of
the Cato Institute. "The Iran problem appears likely to be handed to
the next president."