The US and Russia remain different over the issues of imposing
new sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program.
Russia is currently opposed to impose new sanctions, which will
be the third if it is adopted by the UN Security Council, according
to reports by Russian media available in UN on Thursday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who is here attending
the UN General Assembly, was quoted as saying in a briefing to
Russian reporters in New York that the UN Security Council should
give Iran more time to carry out its agreement with the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In response to what Lavrov said, US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay
Khalilzad told reporters the IAEA agreement was a technical one and
should not delay any action by the Security Council.
"That cannot be used as a shield to protect Iran from its lack
of implementation of the demands of the Security Council in regard
to the enrichment of uranium that Iran has been asked to suspend
twice," he said.
The UN Security Council has adopted two resolutions - one was in
December 2006, the other in March this year - to force Iran to
suspend uranium enrichment activities.
It was reported that Lavrov and US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice exchanged sharp words at a meeting of major
industrial states on Wednesday when he condemned Western moves to
take unilateral sanctions outside the UN framework.
(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2007)
