Russia: Talks with Iran may resume soon

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov today voiced hope for a quick resumption of international talks on Iran's nuclear programme, news reports said.

"We will push for our common goal - the resumption of talks with six nations," Lavrov said after Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, according to the ITAR-Tass and Interfax news agencies.

Lavrov said after today's discussions that Russia and Iran would make efforts to restart talks between Tehran and the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany.

"In the nearest days, we will continue contacts with members of the six, which have offered Iran certain ideas as a basis for talks," Lavrov said.

"Iran has responded to these proposals, and we think it's possible, if there is goodwill, to find a mutually acceptable basis for the resumption of talks on the basis of the proposals of the six and Iran's response to them."

The five Security Council members and Germany offered Iran a package of economic incentives and political rewards in June if it agreed to freeze its uranium enrichment effort. But Tehran has said it would continue enrichment, a process that is central to both civilian power generation and the production of nuclear weapons.

Putin's meeting with Larijani at his country residence outside Moscow signalled a serious Kremlin effort to force Iran to freeze its uranium enrichment programme.

After a first round of meetings with Russian officials on Friday, Larijani said Tehran would push ahead with its controversial nuclear programme, and suggested it could break off ties with the UN nuclear watchdog if the world inflicted punishments proposed by European nations.