Iran, world powers set for showdown in Moscow
World powers resume crisis talks with Iran tomorrow in hopes that a
crippling oil embargo will finally force the Islamic Republic to scale
back its nuclear drive. The two-day meeting follows a bruising May
session in Baghdad during which Iran nearly walked out of negotiations
aimed ultimately at keeping it from joining the exclusive club of
nations with an atomic bomb. Host Russia however is keen to flex its
diplomatic muscle and make Iran an example of how Moscow's influence
over Soviet-era partners could be used to avoid foreign military
intervention in the 16-month crisis raging in Syria. "There are reasons
to believe that the next step will be taken in Moscow," Russia's Deputy
Foreign Sergei Ryabkov said Friday. "It is important for Russia to
ensure that the negotiating process continues." Failure in Moscow could
leave the process in tatters and raise the threat of air raids from
arch-foe Israel - a fateful scenario in which broader conflict would
lead to a spike in oil prices that could tip over the world's teetering
economy. But a July 1 deadline for a full EU oil embargo and the June
28 rollout of US sanctions against a host of Iranian oil clients is
providing added incentive for Tehran to bargain more seriously. Two of
the biggest bones of contention involve the speed with which world
powers lift existing sanctions and the recognition of Iran's "right to
enrich". The latter is emerging as a key demand that Iranian negotiator
Saeed Jalili is likely to present to Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign
policy chief who represents the five permanent UN Security Council
members and Germany at the talks. "We expect that Iran's right to
nuclear technologies, including uranium enrichment, will be recognised
and respected," Jalili told Russia's RT state-run world news channel in
comments translated from Farsi. Iran for its part "has the capacities
to cooperate in disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation, so these
capacities should be used by the international community," Jalili said
in Friday's broadcast. "I think that addressing these two issues will
help to advance the negotiations." Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad told a German Sunday paper that his country was ready to
take a "positive step if the other party makes a similar step" at the
talks. EU officials say Iran has agreed to discuss the idea of limits
to its enrichment programme under a proposal initially outlined in
Baghdad
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