Russia Opposes Planned 6-Country Meeting On Iran

[Purveyor]

Source: Dow Jones

MOSCOW (AFP)--Russia is against a planned meeting Thursday of the six powers negotiating on Iran's nuclear program, the foreign ministry said in a statement that referred to U.S. attempts to "punish" Moscow.

"We do not see any fire that requires us to toss everything aside and meet to discuss Iran's nuclear program in the middle of a packed week at the United Nations General Assembly," the ministry said in a statement.

---
Moscow's statement apparently meant Russia was walking out of the meeting.

It was also an official response to U.S. suggestions that the United States and Russia could work together in some areas but not others, suggesting that Moscow was using the Iran nuclear issue against the United States.

"It would be very desirable for Washington to finally decide what it wants in its relations with Moscow. If it wants to punish Russia, this is one thing. If it agrees we have common interests...that is another," the ministry said.

"To use the words of Condoleezza Rice, you can't have it both ways," it added, referring to a phrase that the U.S. secretary of state has used in criticizing Russia's conflict with Georgia last month.



Read more: http://tinyurl.com/426kw9

[atreides1]

1. Wait a Minute

This wouldn't be the Russia that Condie said was becoming "irrelevant", would it?