Moscow- US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov agreed in talks in Moscow Tuesday to pursue a diplomatic route in regards to Iran's nuclear programme. Stating in a press conference that it was not yet time for sanctions against Iran, Clinton, however, did not exclude the possibility of sanctions in principle, adding that Iran's nuclear programme was a serious problem.
The US official also confirmed that Iran indeed did have a right to use nuclear energy for civilian purposes, but that the international community had to be completely convinced of the peaceful intentions of the programme.
For his part, the Russian foreign minister said his government was very critical of the Iranian nuclear programme, but added that extreme pressure on Tehran would currently be "counterproductive."
Last month, Tehran revealed the existence of a second nuclear plant as part of its nuclear programme, which it insists is for peaceful purposes.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev joined the US and its allies in expressing concern and warned that Russia as a United Nations Security Council veto power could - contrary to its prior position - support sanctions against Iran if it failed to live up to its obligations on its nuclear fuel programme.
Meanwhile, Lavrov said the US and Russia had made "considerable" progress in negotiations over their own nuclear weapons.
Many open questions had been clarified, the foreign minister said, adding that the first concrete draft had been assembled for a follow- up treaty to replace the US-Russian Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) that expires in December.
The plan would call for the number of nuclear warheads to be reduced to 1,675 on each side, with the number of launch systems to fall to 1,100. Lavrov spoke of "ongoing intense negotiations" during a press conference.
Relations between the two countries have taken a turn for the better in recent weeks after Washington canceled plans to base elements of a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic, which Russia considered a threat to its territory.
Lavrov confirmed that the US military may continue to run supplies for its operations in Afghanistan through Russia and said that there was still room to expand this cooperation, but he drew the line at any Russian troop presence in Afghanistan.
Moving to North Korea, Clinton ruled out a loosening of sanctions on North Korea, which also continues to defy world opinion with its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
And more than a year after conflict between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway Georgian provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Clinton criticized Russian recognition of the two states' unilateral declarations of independence. Washington continues to see the two as parts of Georgia, said Clinton.
Clinton said the US was very interested in working with Russia. She was was due to hold further talks later Tuesday with Medvedev.
