Date:26/10/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/10/26/stories/2005102604141100.htm

Opinion - News Analysis

Moscow, Teheran, and Washington

Vladimir Radyuhin

Russia has positioned itself as a trusted negotiating partner for both Iran and the United States.

IRAN MAY well prove the most interesting subject for External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh's parleys in Moscow during his four-day visit that began on Tuesday.

Until last month's vote in the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), India and Russia took very close stands on the spat over Iran's nuclear plans. Both countries spoke out against Iran acquiring nuclear weapon capability but refused to join the U.S.-led crusade to deny Iran the right to have even a civilian nuclear programme. Neither India nor Russia was prepared to jeopardise strategic interests in Iran for the sake of winning an approving nod from Washington, and conducted regular bilateral consultations to fine-tune their stands on Iran's nuclear file.

However, the IAEA vote on a U.S.-pushed resolution paving the way for referring Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible international sanctions put India and Russia on opposite sides of the fence. While India backed the resolution, Russia abstained, reiterating strong opposition to sending the Iran file to the Security Council and making it clear its decision not to vote against was a mere polite gesture to the U.S.

In the run-up to another crucial vote on Iran in the IAEA next month Indian diplomats in Moscow acknowledge that the External Affairs Minister will be keen to get a top-level Russian briefing on how the Iran situation is evolving, considering that Moscow has recently become the focal point of diplomatic activity around Iran.

A week after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made an unscheduled visit to Russia to discuss Iran, U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley came to Moscow on Monday to continue talks. Simultaneously Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki held separate consultations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. Russia's Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov will go to Teheran soon. It may be interesting to know how Russia has managed to walk a thin line between holding its ground on Iran and avoiding antagonising the U.S.

Not only has Moscow staunchly opposed the U.S. push to punish Iran, it has refused to roll up the construction of a nuclear power project at Bushehr. Besides, it has got an observer status for Iran in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and has expanded its cooperation with Iran to outer space, with a Russian booster scheduled to launch Iran's first satellite on Thursday. After hearing another firm "no" in Moscow to the referral of Iran to the Security Council, the U.S. Secretary of State nevertheless accepted Russia's efforts to bring Iran back to the talks with the European Union. She, moreover, indicated for the first time that the U.S. may lift its objections to the Bushehr power plant provided Iran agreed to return spent nuclear fuel to Russia (Teheran signed a corresponding commitment months ago).

Russia has positioned itself as a trusted negotiating partner for both Teheran and Washington and an indispensable channel of communication between the two. Moscow's latest proposals to Teheran reportedly call for Iran renouncing an independent fuel enrichment programme in favour of a joint venture with Russia to produce nuclear fuel and cutting back enrichment activities by 50 to 70 per cent in exchange for more arms supplies from Russia.

It is to be hoped that Mr. Singh's talks in Moscow will help the two countries to join forces in preventing the escalation of the stand-off over Teheran's nuclear programme and consolidating their strategic relationships with Iran.