TURKEY: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says U.N. nuclear talks should cover lifting sanctions on Iran

Record ID: 575100

  • Title: TURKEY: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says U.N. nuclear talks should cover lifting sanctions on Iran
  • Date: 21st January 2011
  • Summary: ISTANBUL, TURKEY (JANUARY 20, 2010) (REUTERS) RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEI LAVROV AND TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER AHMET DAVUTOGLU WALKING INTO CONFERENCE ROOM REPORTERS TAKING NOTES LAVROV AND DAVUTOGLU SIGNING COOPERATION AGREEMENT CLOSE UP OF LAVROV SIGNING THE DOCUMENT CLOSE UP OF DAVUTOGLU SIGNING THE DOCUMENT NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS TWO MINISTERS EXCHANGING DOCUMENTS AND WALKING TO THE PODIUM FOR JOINT PRESSER CAMERAWOMAN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEI LAVROV SAYING THROUGH A TRANSLATOR: "The approach of Russia and the other participants is that the focus of the debate ought to be Iran's nuclear programme and sorting the unresolved problems in this programme. But this meeting doesn't have just one topic. Cancelling the sanctions against Iran should also be discussed." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEI LAVROV SAYING: "We believe that if all countries who are participating in the negotiations with Iran agreed to work in the (U.N.) Security Council and to stick together to develop collective approaches, then any unilateral sanctions would be only serving as spoilers and would be undermining the basis for joint efforts. We explained to our partners in the United States and European Union what we think about unilateral sanctions and I hope they have heard us. It is counterproductive to continuing our common efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue" CAMERAMEN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER AHMET DAVUTOGLU SAYING: "The answers we got from the parties showed us that there are still some hesitations. Therefore, we decided to turn back to our country after submitting our proposal. They will be considering it, they can make new approaches. We will always be with our brothers in Lebanon and our efforts for the country's stability will continue." CAMERAMEN FILMING DAVUTOGLU AND LAVROV SHAKING HANDS AND LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 5th February 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey, Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA1D527PU9BWY2O1EUCC45F5OMY
  • Story Text: World powers should hold out the possibility of rolling back sanctions in talks with Iran over its nuclear programme, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday (January 20) in Turkey.
    Lavrov met with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu on the eve of a second round of negotiations between Iran and six world powers in Istanbul starting on Friday (January 21).
    The powers talking to Iran through European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton are the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany.
    "The approach of Russia and the other participants is that the focus of the debate ought to be Iran's nuclear programme and resolving the unresolved problems in this programme. But this meeting doesn't have just one topic. Cancelling the sanctions against Iran should also be discussed," Lavrov said during a joint news conference with the Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu.
    Lavrov also stressed that unilateral sanctions could spoil the whole process.
    "We believe that if all countries who are participating to the negotiations with Iran agreed to work in the (U.N.) Security Council and to stick together to develop collective approaches, then any unilateral sanctions would be only serving as spoilers and would be undermining the basis for joint efforts." he said.
    Under the 2009 swap deal, Iran was to send 1,200 kg of its low enriched uranium (LEU) abroad -- roughly the amount needed for a bomb if refined to a high level.
    It was then to be enriched to 20 percent fissile purity and then turned into fuel assemblies for a Tehran medical research reactor.
    Since then, Iran has said it has been enriching uranium itself to 20 percent purity and that it now had some 40 kg of the material which it plans to use in it own fuel assemblies that it hopes to be able to build later this year, a claim many foreign analysts doubt.
    During the joint news conference, the Turkish foreign minister was asked about his country's efforts to resolve the political crisis in Lebanon.
    Davutoglu said he does not believe Lebanese parties are close to an agreement on solving a political crisis.
    "The answers we got from the parties showed us that there are still some hesitations. Therefore, we decided to turn back to our country after submitting our proposal. They will be considering it, they can make new approaches. We will always be with our brothers in Lebanon and our efforts for the country's stability will continue," he said.
    Ministers from Turkey and Qatar suspended mediation efforts after holding two days of talks with Lebanon's rival politicians in Beirut, including Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri and Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
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