Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
Voice of America is funded by the US Federal Government and content it
exclusively produces is in the public domain.

Russia Urges Iran to Halt Uranium Enrichment
--------------------------------------------

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=11DAA21:3919ACA Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov says  international community is demanding 'urgent and
concrete' steps from Tehran to ease concerns about its nuclear program
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Iran must heed the
international call to stop work linked to controversial uranium
enrichment, if it hopes to find a way out of the tense standoff over
its nuclear program.







Sergei Lavrov talks to reporters, WednesdaySpeaking on the sidelines
of a meeting of envoys from the Group of Eight major industrialized
nations in Moscow Wednesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the
international community is demanding what he calls "urgent and
concrete" steps from Tehran to ease concerns about its nuclear
program.

The call came one day after top diplomats from the five permanent
members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany discussed the issue,
but failed to agree on sanctions against Iran.

The United States and Britain have been pushing hard for tougher
measures, including possible sanctions, if Iran fails to comply with
the April 28 United Nations Security Council deadline to halt its
enrichment program.







Mohamed ElBaradei But Lavrov persisted with a more cautious line,
saying Russia is convinced everyone must wait until the director of
the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Mohammad
ElBaradei, produces a much-anticipated report on Iran's nuclear
problem later this month.

The report next goes to the IAEA Board of Directors for discussion.
Lavrov says then, and only then, should Iran be referred to the U,N.
Security Council for possible sanctions.

Lavrov downplayed the significance of yet another round of talks in
Moscow ending without agreement, saying no concrete outcome had been
expected. At least five rounds of similar talks have been held in the
Russian capital since the start of this year.

Some analysts now suggest that Russia risks becoming tainted over the
Iran issue, if it does not start putting a little more distance
between itself and the Islamic republic.







Reactor building of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant (file
photo)Russia, which has long argued that sanctions are the wrong
course, has considerable economic interests in the oil-rich republic
and is helping Iran to build a nuclear power plant at Bushehr.

Meanwhile, Russia's influential business newspaper, Kommersant,
suggests in an editorial Wednesday that Moscow's continued
unwillingness to give immediate, direct support on this, a critical
foreign policy issue for Washington, risks deteriorating already
frayed Russo-American relations.

The article goes on to suggest that the issue could also add an
element of unpredictability to the G8 Summit Russia is scheduled to
host this July in Saint Petersburg.


.