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Powers to meet over Iran nuclear issue

(AP)
Updated: 2006-10-06 08:29

Solana conceded Wednesday that "endless hours" of talks with Larijani had made little progress and suggested the dispute could wind up at the U.N. soon. But he stressed Thursday that dialogue with Iran must continue even if nuclear talks fail.

"I think that even if we fail now we should keep the doors open for dialogue with Iran," Solana said in Rome, where he was meeting top Italian officials. "We shall not spare any effort to try to move forward when it is possible. It is not possible at the moment, but that doesn't mean it will not be possible later."

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow remains opposed to sanctions against Iran at this time.

"Some members of the six nations already want to impose sanctions against Iran. We, however, think first we must continue multilateral actions," he said.

"I think that until all diplomatic possibilities have been exhausted, sanctions would be extreme," Lavrov told reporters in Warsaw after meeting with his Polish counterpart. "I think we need to do all we can to push Iran toward starting negotiations."

Later, he accused the United States of "complicating" the six-nation talks with Iran.

"Unfortunately, the unilateral American law complicates the work of the sextet in a collective format," Lavrov was quoted as saying by Interfax on his return to Moscow. "It was agreed that we would do everything together, including the analysis of the situation and working out measures of action."

Lavrov did not elaborate, but he was apparently referring to legislation signed by President Bush on Sept. 30 toughening unilateral sanctions on Tehran. The new law imposes mandatory sanctions on entities that provide goods or services for Iran's weapons program.

The House of Representatives had debated the wisdom of strengthening U.S. sanctions while Washington was trying to work in the U.N. on a multinational approach to Iran's nuclear threat.

On Tuesday, diplomats said Western council members - the United States, Britain and France - favor an embargo on sales of nuclear or missile technology to Tehran as a first sanctions step. That would be followed by other sanctions, including travel bans on Iranian officials and the freezing of their assets.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said Thursday any measures against Iran must be "progressive, proportionate and reversible" without specifying what those steps might be.


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