AHMADINEJAD CRITICIZES RUSSIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
02.12.2009 13:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia will join any consensus on more sanctions
against Iran, a senior Russian diplomatic source said on Tuesday after
Tehran declared it would expand nuclear activity in defiance of a U.N.

rebuke. It was a thinly veiled Russian warning to Iran of waning
patience with its failure to allay fears it aims to develop atom
bombs in secret, and hinted that Iran could no longer rely on Russia
to stop tougher world action against it, Reuters reported.

"If there is a consensus on Iran sanctions, we will not stand aside,"
said the Russian diplomatic source, who requested anonymity due to
the sensitivity of the situation.

By referring to "consensus", Russia could be leaving itself an
escape hatch since China has been the most resistant to punitive
steps against Iran among the six world powers.

The source made clear Moscow would not move so fast to embrace
harsher sanctions as the United States and EU powers, who want to act
early next year if Tehran has not begun fulfilling IAEA demands for
nuclear restraint and transparency by then. "We will be thinking about
sanctions but this is not an issue of the next few hours or weeks,"
he said.

Russia did not want to complicate the situation with threats
against Iran. "We would rather have Iran cooperating more openly and
consistently with the IAEA and showing clear steps to lift concerns –
which are gaining greater foundation — than introducing sanctions
against Iran," the source said.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad voiced defiance on Tuesday,
saying sanctions would have no effect and that no more talks on
the nuclear dispute were needed with the West. Speaking on state
television, he also criticized Russian action.

"Russia made a mistake by backing the anti-Iran resolution and
we believe that their analysis in this regard was incorrect,"
Ahmadinejad said.

In his televised comments, Ahmadinejad dismissed the threat of
sanctions and warned any "aggressor" against Iran. "Sanctions will
have no effect. Aggressors will regret their action as soon as they
put their finger on the trigger," he said. "No one can isolate Iran
because global interactions and Iran’s unique characteristics in the
Middle East will not allow such a move."