11/06/2010 The repercussions of the UN sanctions against Iran has turned into offers to appease the Islamic Republic especially after acknowledging the unfairness that took place during the security council meeting. This comes after Turkish Prime Minister revealed that the nuclear swap deal signed by Turkey, Brazil and Iran wouldn’t have passed without pre-arrangement with Western powers, esp. Russia and the US.
On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow was in talks on building further nuclear power plants in Iran -- a step that, if followed through, would rile the West -- in addition to the Bushehr site, due to open in August after years of delay.
Lavrov's statement came just hours after Russia's Foreign Ministry said the new UN sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program did not oblige Moscow to scrap a deal to deliver surface-to-air missiles to Tehran.
The UN Security Council's adoption -- with Kremlin support -- of a fourth round of sanctions against Iran on Wednesday raised fresh questions over the future of Russia's contract to sell S-300 missiles to Tehran.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko spoke after the Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed Russian arms industry source as saying Moscow would freeze the S-300 contract because of the newly passed sanctions. "The UN Security Council decision is binding for all countries and Russia is no exception," Interfax quoted the source as saying. "Naturally, the contract to deliver S-300 missile systems will be frozen."
But Nesterenko said that portable missile systems like shoulder-launched weapons were the only air defense weapons whose sale to Iran would be banned under the sanctions. "Air defense weapons, with the exception of portable missile systems, are not included in the UN registry of conventional weapons which are mentioned by the resolution on Iran," he said.
"We will strictly and unswervingly follow the criteria and requirements in the resolution", Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in a statement posted on the foreign ministry website. The official was responding to a question on whether an agreement by Russia to supply Iran with S-300 would be affected by Wednesday's UN sanctions resolution against Iran.
The Security Council resolution bans the sale of missile systems listed in the United Nations Register on Conventional Arms. That register does not include the S-300 so the contract would not technically be banned. But Security Council diplomats said the resolution's call for all UN member states to "exercise vigilance and restraint" regarding any arms sales to Iran meant that Moscow was being strongly discouraged from delivering the missiles.
In Washington, Republican US Senator Jon Kyl criticized the UN sanctions resolution on Wednesday for excluding the S-300 deal and Russia's construction of Iran's first nuclear power plant near Bushehr, which Moscow says will open in August.
Lavrov, speaking to reporters in the Uzbek capital Tashkent late on Thursday, said Russia was in discussions with Iran on possible additional nuclear power plants. "We are practically discussing this now," he said.
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