BEIJING (Reuters):
CHINA AND Iran expressed support yesterday for a Russian proposal to resolve Tehran's stand-off with Western governments which suspect it of secretly planning to build a nuclear bomb.
Top Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, on a one-day trip to Beijing to seek China's support, said the Russian proposal - that Iran's uranium fuel be enriched on Russian soil, rather than in Iran - needed further discussion.
'USEFUL SUGGESTION'
Tehran has previously shown little interest in the idea, intended to ensure it does not covertly divert enriched fuel towards a weapons programme. It has repeatedly insisted it has no plans to build bombs, but has the right to enrich uranium fuel on its territory for nuclear power generation.
"The Russian suggestion is a useful one, but needs to be discussed further," Larijani told a Beijing news conference.
He later told Reuters that Iran was willing to show flexibility but rejected the "language of force", an apparent reference to the threat of United Nations sanctions.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan told a news conference earlier that China wanted other countries to consider Moscow's proposal. "We think the Russian proposal is a good attempt to break this stalemate," he said.
OPPOSE SANCTIONS
Earlier this month, Iran removed U.N. seals on enrichment equipment and announced it would resume nuclear fuel research. The United States and its European Union allies say the International Atomic Energy Agency should turn Iran over to the United Nations Security Council.
But China said U.N. sanctions would only complicate matters: "We oppose impulsively using sanctions or threats of sanctions to solve problems," Kong said.
The comments seemed to contradict the message China gave U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, who left China on Wednesday after a three-day visit.
